Four days after a derecho swept through Iowa, the Iowa National Guard has been deployed to Linn County.
State Sen. Liz Mathis posted on Facebook Thursday evening that “approximately 100 engineers will be fanning out over Linn County to assess damage tomorrow (Friday) and then work with our Linn County Emergency Management Agency to prioritize the worst areas…then get to work.” The National Guard will also begin debris removal on Friday.
Pat Garrett, the spokesperson for the governor’s office, confirmed on Twitter the state National Guard is heading to the county.
Mathis also added that Iowa Homeland Security said the first 1,000 shelf-stable meals will arrive in Cedar Rapids Friday morning and a list of medically dependent people has been shared with emergency management so house checks can be completed. American Red Cross will help temporarily house people and there are plans to use large buildings in the county to house individuals.
Mathis’ Facebook post came about an hour after a press conference in Cedar Rapids concluded. During the press conference, local and state officials called on Gov. Kim Reynolds to bring in the National Guard and ask for a federal disaster declaration.
“We, again, need all the help and resources we can get,” Rep. Abby Finkenauer said. “So we’ll continue to push for that, and we also call on the governor’s office to join us in that effort as well. On top of that, we need state assistance in any form possible, whether that is the National Guard or any type of assistance that they can provide.”
City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said during the press conference he “absolutely supports the National Guard assisting” if that is what the state decides.
Stations to charge medical equipment in Cedar Rapids
Another 4,807 Alliant Energy customers in Linn County got their power restored between Thursday morning and Friday morning. A total of 72,600 customers are still without power, as of Friday morning.
During the city’s press conference on Thursday, Alliant Energy spokesperson Mike Wagner said it could be five to seven days until power is “substantially restored” in the city. Even then, that doesn’t mean everyone will have their power back.
The city announced three charging stations that people can use to charge their medical equipment. There will be stations set up at the Cedar Rapids Public Library parking lot, Twin Pines Golf Course, Shores Event Center and the Northwest Recreation Center parking lot.
Stations will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily starting Friday.
Earlier this week, Linn County Emergency Management Agency announced six locations around Linn County that are open for individuals who need to charge medical equipment or need a day shelter.
Anderson Public Library – Center Point Community Room
720 Main St., Center Point
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Special Instructions: Social distancing – only outlets with red-covered plates have powerCity of Hiawatha Community Center
101 Emmons St., Hiawatha
Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.City of Palo Community Center
2800 Hollenbeck Rd., Palo
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.City of Robins Community Center
265 S. 2nd Street, Robins
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.City of Springville City Hall
304 Broadway Street, Springville
Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.Coggon Old Fire Station
112 2nd St. South, Coggon
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
No Air Conditioning
The agency is also working on setting up shelters and cooling areas in Cedar Rapids.
Curfew will remain in place ‘until it’s safe to lift’
There have been “unprecedented issues of public safety,” Pomeranz said on Thursday. He added that the city’s police and fire departments have responded to record numbers of calls for service.
Fire Chief Greg Smith said the department has responded to about 1,000 to 1,200 calls for service in the past three days. This includes calls for fires, injuries and gas leaks, among other issues.
Smith added that some of the fires have involved generators and he reminded residents to keep generators at least 20 feet away from structures and make sure the exhaust is pointed away from the home to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
The city remains under an overnight curfew. Residents are asked to stay inside during the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless they are traveling for work. Police Chief Wayne Jerman said the curfew is to keep residents safe since there is still a lot of debris on the roads and power remains out at many intersections.
“The curfew will remain until it’s safe to lift,” Jerman said, adding that residents should do their best to say home during hours outside the curfew, if possible.
The city’s public works director Jen Winter said all of the city’s 190 intersections got damaged. Power is back to about 37 of them and another 30 to 40 intersections are being powered by generators. The city has been reminding residents to treat intersections as all-way stop signs.
HACAP drive-through food pantry
The HACAP Food Reservoir will have a drive-through food pantry on Friday. It is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the Veterans Memorial Stadium, 950 Rockford Road SW.
No identification is required and individuals may pick up food for multiple households.
HACAP is also looking for volunteers to help with the food distribution. Volunteers can meet at the parking lot at 10 a.m. for instructions, according to the organization. Volunteers need to have closed toe shoes and wear a mask. Individuals who have traveled out of Iowa in the last two weeks or are feeling ill are asked not to volunteer during this event.
