Missouri River Flood Coordination Task Force Report, September 25, 2011

The Missouri River floods of 2011 will go down in history as the longest duration flooding event this state has seen to date. The combination of above normal snowfall in the upper Missouri River basin followed by the equivalent of nearly one year’s worth of rainfall in May created an above normal runoff situation which filled the Missouri River and the six main reservoirs within the basin. Compounding this problem was colder than normal temperatures which kept much of the snowpack in the upper basin on the ground longer into the spring, setting the stage for this historic event. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began increasing the outflow at Gavin’s Point, near Yankton, South Dakota in May. On June 14, 2011, the outflow reached a record rate of over 160,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), over twice the previous record outflow set in 1997. This increased output from Gavin’s Point caused the Missouri River to flow out of its banks covering over 283,000 acres of land in Iowa, forcing hundreds of evacuations, damaging 255,000 acres of cropland and significantly impacting the levee system on the Missouri River basin. Over the course of the summer, approximately 64 miles of primary roads closed due to Missouri River flooding, including 54 miles of Interstate Highway. Many county secondary roads were closed by high water or overburdened due to the numerous detours and road closures in this area. As the Missouri River levels began to increase, municipalities and counties aided by State and Federal agencies began preparing for a sustained flood event. Citizens, businesses, state agencies, local governments and non‐profits made substantial preparations, in some cases expending millions of dollars on emergency protective measures to protect their facilities from the impending flood. Levee monitors detected weak spots in the levee system in all affected counties, with several levees being identified as at risk levees that could potentially fail. Of particular concern was the 28 miles of levees protecting Council Bluffs. Based on this concern, Council Bluffs prepared an evacuation plan for the approximately 30,000 residents that resided in the protected area. On May 25, 2011, Governor Branstad directed the execution of the Iowa Emergency Response Plan in accordance with Section 401 of the Stafford Act. On May 31, 2011, HSEMD Administrator, Brigadier General J. Derek Hill, formally requested the USACE to provide technical assistance and advanced measures for the communities along the Missouri River basin. On June 2, 2011 Governor Branstad issued a State of Iowa Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury counties. The length of this flood event created a unique set of challenges for Federal, State and local entities. In many cases, these organizations were conducting response and recovery operations simultaneously. Due to the length of this entire event, the State Emergency Operations Center and the local Emergency Operations Centers remained open for an extended period of time, putting additional strain on many organizations and resources. In response to this disaster, Governor Branstad created the Missouri River Recovery Coordination Task Force to oversee the State’s recovery efforts. The Governor announced the creation of this Task Force on October 17, 2011 and appointed Brigadier General J. Derek Hill, HSEMD Administrator as the chairman. This Task Force would be a temporary group of State agency representatives and interested stakeholders brought together to support the recovery efforts of the Iowa communities impacted by the Missouri River Flood. Collectively, this group would analyze and share damage assessment data, coordinate assistance across various stakeholders, monitor progress, capture best practices and identify lessons learned.

Missouri River Flood Coordination Task Force Report, September 25, 2011

The Missouri River floods of 2011 will go down in history as the longest duration flooding event this state has seen to date. The combination of above normal snowfall in the upper Missouri River basin followed by the equivalent of nearly one year’s worth of rainfall in May created an above normal runoff situation which filled the Missouri River and the six main reservoirs within the basin. Compounding this problem was colder than normal temperatures which kept much of the snow pack in the upper basin on the ground longer into the spring, setting the stage for this historic event.

Sioux City's Grand Avenue Viaduct, 1936-2010

For almost 75 years, the Grand Avenue Viaduct (known today as the Gordon Drive Viaduct) has been a familiar feature of Sioux City's urban landscape. With the exception of bridges over the Mississippi River, the Grand Avenue Viaduct is Iowa's longest grade separation as well as its longest bridge. For nearly a mile, from the eastern suburbs west to the central business district, the viaduct carries Gordon Drive and the city route of U.S. 20 over the Floyd River valley, which includes the remnants of the city's famed stockyards and the South Bottoms neighborhood, as well as a maze of railroad tracks and the present channel of the Floyd River. Constructed in 1937 and known simply as "The Viaduct" to local residents, the massive structure is as fundamental to Sioux City as were its stockyards just a few decades ago.

Field Testing of Abrasive Delivery Systems in Winter Maintenance, TR-458, 2009

The key goals in winter maintenance operations are preserving the safety and mobility of the traveling public. To do this, it is in general necessary to try to increase the friction of the road surface above the typical friction levels found on a snow or ice covered roadway. Because of prior work on the performance of abrasives (discussed in greater detail in chapter 2) a key concern when using abrasives has become how to ensure the greatest increase in pavement friction when using abrasives for the longest period of time. There are a number of ways in which the usage of abrasives can be optimized, and these methods are discussed and compared in this report. In addition, results of an Iowa DOT test of zero-velocity spreaders are presented. Additionally in this study the results of field studies conducted in Johnson County Iowa on the road surface friction of pavements treated with abrasive applications using different modes of delivery are presented. The experiments were not able to determine any significant difference in material placement performance between a standard delivery system and a chute based delivery system. The report makes a number of recommendations based upon the reviews and the experiments.

Iowa’s Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Annual Report, 2014

Title V of the Social Security Act is the longest-standing public health legislation in American history. Enacted in 1935, Title V is a federal-state partnership that promotes and improves maternal and child health (MCH). According to each state’s unique needs, Title V supports a spectrum of services, from infrastructure building services like quality assurance and policy development, to gap-filling direct health care services. Title V resources are directed towards MCH priority populations: pregnant women, mothers, infants, women of reproductive years, children and adolescents and children and youth with special health care needs.

Iowa’s Title V Block Grant Executive Summary, 2013

Title V of the Social Security Act is the longest-standing public health legislation in American history. Enacted in 1935, Title V is a federal-state partnership that promotes and improves maternal and child health (MCH). According to each state’s unique needs, Title V supports a spectrum of services, from infrastructure building services like quality assurance and policy development, to gap-filling direct health care services. Title V resources are directed towards MCH priority populations: pregnant women, mothers, infants, women of reproductive years, children and adolescents and children and youth with special health care needs.

Iowa’s Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Annual Report, 2012

Title V of the Social Security Act is the longest-standing public health legislation in American history. Enacted in 1935, Title V is a federal-state partnership that promotes and improves maternal and child health (MCH). According to each state’s unique needs, Title V supports a spectrum of services, from infrastructure building services like quality assurance and policy development, to gap-filling direct health care services. Title V resources are directed towards MCH priority populations: pregnant women, mothers, infants, women of reproductive years, children and adolescents and children and youth with special health care needs.