Flooding Volunteer Coordinator: "We're Way Ahead of the Game" Compared to 2008 Flood Effort

I spoke with Mark Martin, United Way of Johnson County Director of Disaster Services, on Friday evening about the county's volunteer efforts to prepare for the flood.

United Way of Johnson County has created a flood information blog at www.unitedwayjc.org/blog-entry/29-05-2013/flood-information-resources. United Way has also established a Disaster Call Center that will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for people in need of help or seeking volunteer opportunities. The number is 319-337-8657. After 8 p.m., people with questions can call 211 or 1-866-469-2211.

Martin, an experienced veteran of multiple disaster responses over the years in and out of the area, said that he expects that this coming week of flooding will likely be between the flood of 1993 and the flood of 2008 in magnitude. The good news, he said, is that the flood will likely be closer to 1993 in size, and that preparations are far ahead of where they were in 2008, as lessons learned from that flood are being put into effect.

Martin credited Johnson County Emergency Manager Dave Wilson for helping get the ball rolling on the volunteer effort. A call center at Montgomery Hall at the Johnson County Fairgrounds is being manned by shifts of volunteers, who then direct other volunteers on where they can go to provide flood prevention help.

Martin said that the local municipalities have finished sandbagging their weak spots for the most part and the next few days will be focused on sandbagging individual homes and businesses.

The Red Cross has also set up a shelter with 50 available beds in the bottom of Montgomery Hall in case evacuees need shelter. As of Friday night, no one had needed the shelter's services, according to Martin.