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Gov. Kim Reynolds August 29, 2024 announced the opening of a temporary school facility for students in the Rock Valley Community School District (RVCSD).
The 7,000-square-foot modular school, built by Hegg Construction, will house 150 middle school RVCSD students in six classrooms, bathrooms, offices, and a common area. The facility is fitted with wireless Internet and smart boards.
The $2 million school facility was built and installed on the school property in under seven weeks and is operational and ready to welcome students back to the classroom on Thursday, September 5.
“I’m thrilled to be back in Rock Valley today to celebrate an important milestone in this community’s recovery – a return to school after historic flooding just two months ago,” Gov. Reynolds said during a visit to Rock Valley, Thursday. “When I visited right after the storms, Rock Valley’s K-12 public school building was an island completely surrounded by water. Now, the district is prepared to welcome its students back a week from today.”
“This was no small feat,” Gov. Reynolds said. “The adversity this community has endured without breaking, matched with emergency response from federal and state agencies, business partners, and my team is a remarkable example of crisis collaboration and the reason we’re all here today.”
Gov. Reynolds directed the Iowa Department of Education to use nearly $600,000 in available federal education funds to reimburse schools for destroyed instructional materials. The Wellmark Foundation contributed financial donations to restore school buildings and purchase instructional materials and technology. Kemin, Corteva, and Chevron REG are replacing other tools, materials, and science-related equipment lost in the flooding.
Schools like Rock Valley and Rock Valley Christian can also access $80,000 in federal emergency grants for necessities like food, clothing and housing for students displaced from disaster-impacted homes.
“Thank you to the State of Iowa and Governor Kim Reynolds for collaborating with us on this temporary structure that will allow us to keep all students on site through the school year,” RVCSD Superintendent Matt Van Voorst said. “We look forward to bringing a sense of normalcy to our students and staff as well as our community. It’s only being realized thanks to all the partnerships and support that does not go unnoticed.”
“Next week, we will have our students together for the first day of school,” Van Voorst said. “We will celebrate what has been done to make that happen.”
On June 21, Rock Valley Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo issued an emergency evacuation for flood-affected areas of the city following widespread floods. The next day, after a breach along the Rock River, Gov. Reynolds issued a disaster for all of Sioux County.
542 homes in Rock Valley were impacted by the storms and 60 businesses were damaged. Recovery assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) became eligible on June 24, and since, $12.9 million in financial aid has been approved for more than 500 Rock Valley households. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has accepted $1 million in recovery loans for nearly 30 home and business owners in Sioux County.
In July, Gov. Reynolds launched the Disaster Recovery Temporary Housing Program, providing displaced families with temporary homes at no cost for six months while they work toward permanent housing. Since the launch, 58 trailer homes have been placed around Rock Valley, sheltering almost 200 displaced homeowners. In addition, 70 households are being evaluated for FEMA trailers.
“I want to send a special thank you to the governor and her staff, as well as our first responders and volunteers who came to our rescue and assistance from area communities. There were 14,677 volunteers who logged nearly 104,000 hours assisting our community and its residents,” Rock Valley Mayor Kevin Otterloo said. “Without them, Rock Valley would not be where we are today.”
The emergency housing response in Rock Valley is a snapshot of the more than 100 trailers on the ground in flood-affected areas across Iowa. So far, more than 300 people in Sioux and Clay Counties are safely living in these trailers. The state has 300 more trailers at its disposal, if needed.
Nearly 4,500 eligible Iowans applied for housing assistance following statewide disasters and $40 million in FEMA grants has been awarded. In total, more than $61 million in FEMA Individual Assistance has been awarded to eligible Iowans in disaster-affected areas.
For more information on disaster-related programs and resources available to Iowans, visit DisasterRecovery.iowa.gov.