FEMA comes up with a new way to help flood victims

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A lot of people lost personal belongings in the floods, and some of those things can’t be replaced.

That’s why FEMA will be returning to some of the hardest hit areas next week, with some important information.

June floods hit many homes and businesses in Rock Rapids, Iowa, hard.

“We ended up getting water about two feet of water in the basement. It was actually sewer water. And we were closed for a few days for cleaning and stuff. We had it professionally cleaned. So we were closed though obviously couldn’t work, but luckily it was only a few days and we were able to get back to work right away,” flood victim Erica Rice said.

For others, the recovery is taking longer, and FEMA has come with a unique way to help

“So the program that we’re doing is called Save Your Family Treasures, and it’s a collaboration between FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution. And the purpose of the program is to show disaster survivors some tips and techniques that they can use to salvage their belongings that may have been damaged in the disaster,” Kara Griffin FEMA representative said.

Some people wish they could have had that information sooner.

“it would have been nice to know that beforehand, but I know since we’ve gone through it ten years ago, I think some people have kind of figured out what to do and try and get ahead of things and you know, like people were able to get things out of their basements before all the water came and you know, they did what they could, but obviously they couldn’t save everything,” Rice said.

“People can use these skill sets and techniques if they have any kind of water damage to their items, such as burst pipes or things like that as well. Sometimes having the information in advance is really beneficial so that people know what to do immediately in the aftermath of an incident,” Griffin said.

“Hopefully it doesn’t happen for a really long time,” Rice said.

FEMA will be in Rock Rapids July 30th and 31st and in Rock Valley August 1st and 2nd.
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