Highway 99 Culvert

Highway 99 had collapsed at a culvert where the highway intersected with Pumping Station Road.

A bypass had been made around the break. Des Moines County purchased a new culvert and repaired the break a while back. They also repaired Pumping Station Road. The county has begun picking up debris from homes located in the rural areas, over six months after the flood happened. It is anticipated the removal will be completed by the end of December.

Sand Removal

Some farmland was covered by sand from the failed levee as well as that washed in by the flood waters. The farmer below has been scraping sand so he can plant crops next year.

This pile is from only a small section of land. Hopefully, the snow will stay away for a time so more sand can be removed before it is covered.

Big Thanks

The Red Cross coordinated the volunteer workers for a couple of months. When they pulled out, Tonya Lanz volunteered to take over the position. She has worked, unpaid, since August putting in long days, 5 or 6 days a week. If someone need assistance, she puts them on the list and organizes the volunteers, equipment and supplies needed to complete the task.

Tonya has charge of equipment to loan and gives out supplies and water. She has been a sounding board for complaints and a shoulder to cry on. Tonya was out in the heat and humidity, now she has a trailer next to the Oakville Community Building for the cold. She doesn't like the attention but she deserves it.

Tonya is also a member of the Oakville Volunteer Foundation which accepts funds which are used to purchase building supplies for rebuilding houses. Many others have spent time in Oakville, but Tonya has been the face of them. She and all of the others deserve big thanks for what they have done and continue to do.

Possible Futures of Oakville

A meeting between the Oakville Community Vision Committee, the Rebuild Iowa Committee, the Oakville Recovery Task Force, Southeast Iowa Regional Planning and residents on October 23 came up with several proposals for the future of the town. At least four had some possibility of using the family farm.

One proposed the park moved from its present location to the farm.

A second had the land being developed as a commercial area.

The third wanted a convenience store built on the site.

The last developed the property into camp grounds.

Input from the attendees will be used to finalize options to be presented to the community at a November meeting. The land is still scheduled for auction on November 17.

Moving Dad's Shed

The flood had tilted this shed and scoured a hole in the ground. When the water dropped so did the shed into the 4 foot hole.

We didn't want to pull the shed from the hole since it would probably have fallen apart. If it was burnt, it would have damaged the pole shed next to it. My brother decided to roll the trailer out. He fixed some chains to it and used Dad's tractor to roll the shed.

At this point the chains broke. He brought some stronger ones the next day but Dad's tractor wasn't heavy enough or strong enough to finish pulling it over.

We borrowed the neighbor's tractor to finish the job. The shed was pulled away to a different part of the lot.

The shed had stored grain we used to feed cattle and hogs back when we raised them. It was recently used to store wood Dad used for various projects. It is still in one piece. Dad surely built a strong shed.

Long-Term Community Recovery

There have been meetings to determine the future of Oakville. Long-Term Community Recovery is a partnership between federal, state and local people to discuss the viability of the town, determine its greatest needs and rediscover its assets in the resident's quest for survival. Posters displayed the flood results as well as Oakville's history. A plan for the town is to be presented to the residents by December.

Oakville Volunteer Foundation

The Oakville Volunteer Foundation has a website with contact information to donate and volunteer.

Something Missing

The trailer my grandparents lived in when they moved to town has been torn out. After they left, a sister and nephews and nieces moved in. Dad added two rooms to the trailer. They left and another sister moved in. She left and the trailer was used for storing his many projects. We had been able to remove nearly all before the flood occurred.

The flood waters soaked and mudded the carpets, tore metal and insulation from its sides and buckled the floors. No one wanted to enter the trailer because of the uncertainty of the situation. It was determined all of the trailers in town were to be destroyed.

All that is left are the cement pads the trailer rested upon, a large dirt scar in the ground, some small litter and a pole with a television antenna attached.

The weeds will cover the scar and litter. The pole will be removed and probably the concrete as well. Another small part of Oakville has gone missing, never to return.

Foundations - How to Help

Two foundations have begun accepting funds for disbursement to flood victims.

The Community Foundation of Louisa County will make grants that will cover expenses that are unmet.

Contact: Elias Guiterrez at (319)527-5182 or Paula Buckman (319)868-4240
E-mail: ldg@louisacomm.net or pbuckman@louisacomm.net

The Oakville Volunteer Foundation is accepting funds which they will use to purchase materials for rebuilding residences for flood victims in both Louisa and Des Moines counties. (Des Moines County does NOT include the city of Des Moines which is in Polk County. Des Moines County is located south of Oakville which is in Louisa County.)

Funds can be sent to:

Oakville Volunteer Foundation
505 Russell St.
Oakville, IA 52646

Contact (319)759-7685

FEMA Trailers

FEMA trailers have been arriving for those residents who applied. There were more than 20 trailers located in different parts of town, some next to the resident's former home, others in a trailer park.

The trailers are sized for each applicant. Below is a one-bedroom model for a single or couple.

Here is a three-bedroom trailer for a family. None of the bedrooms are large but at least there is a place to stay.

The water has been restored in town but not all of the sewer has been fixed. There are still portable toilets on most streets but FEMA has begun removing them in Cedar Rapids neighborhoods.

Methodist Church Assistance

The associate pastor, Scott Smith, of the Oakville United Methodist Church has posted several videos of the work he and others have done in town at the Council Bluffs Salem United Methodist Church channel on YouTube. The video below is the first impression members of the church had when they entered town.

Council Bluffs is located about 300 miles away on the other side of Iowa. Two (actually three) rivers form the western and eastern borders of the state. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are the main boundaries (with the Big Sioux River being the third in the northwest border with South Dakota). The video below lets you know some ways you can assist the residents in their recovery.

You can also go to the official Iowa flood assistance site for links on how to help.

Those Who Assisted

Volunteers from many areas of the country have helped in town. Many church groups, including Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Apostolic and Methodist from all over the country, have assisted homeowners to clean up debris. I have seen trailers from Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky, to name some, in town.

News articles from Pennsylvania and Mississippi portray volunteers who have come to town. One city in Mississippi, D'lberville which was struck by Hurricane Katrina, has sent donations and volunteers to help Oakville recover. I was told some will "adopt" a home and help rebuild it.

As far as the folk's home, family has been the source of all of the work. Many brothers and sisters, some nephews and nieces and in-laws have been hard at it to accomplish what has been done. There are several out-buildings that need to be cleaned out and either repaired or torn down.

Volunteers are better used for those who do not have anyone to help them. There are several older people who can't do the work of cleaning up who need their help more than we do. Well over half the homes have been completed. Some homes may just be torn down due to the damage they incurred.

The house below has been stripped to its studs and roof to get rid of the damage.

Inside Before and After

Below are the before and after pictures inside the shop and house. A bleach solution is sprayed on all of the surfaces in order to kill mold.

The Shop.

The Bedroom.

The Living Room.

The Craft Room.

The Bathroom.

The Dining Room.

Outside Before and After

Below are before and after pictures of the house and garage.

Birds are still nesting on the ledges just beneath the roofline. They are also still feeding on the seeds.

We found quite a few frogs and salamanders living in the garage. In the lower picture you can see some of the mud that was scooped out of the garage and placed in a hole in the driveway.

Oakville Cleanup Continues

Oakville residents are slowly cleaning up their homes. If a building has been inspected and tagged for entry, people were able to go in, remove belongings and damaged property. The house below shows the complete gutting required for these houses.

Someone asked why this work was even being done? If the home had flood insurance, and most did not, the inspectors wanted to see all of the damaged items and structure. If there was no insurance, the property may be able to be salvaged. This can only happen if you could mitigate the damage which meant removing all of the items.

Any insulation within the walls soaked up water and helped cause mold growth. One friend's home had a solid mass of mold growing on every wall to a line 5 feet high. Mold could also grow within the wall cavities. So removing the drywall and plaster is a required step.

The house below was torn from its foundation and carried more than 5 blocks and deposited in a ditch.

The surge knocked nearly every mobile home off its foundation. Most have "red tags" on them to indicate they are not safe to enter. These homes may not have been entered in over six weeks.

Even though the Iowa DOT has been picking up debris, more is placed on the curbs each day. Second Street below is lined with damaged property, appliances and demolition debris.

FEMA pulled its Disaster Recovery Center from town on July 28. The Red Cross is planning on providing meals until August 3. Alliant Energy has restored electric power to town but buildings have to be inspected before power is turned on to each house.

Assistance to Oakville Area

The local grain elevator, Tri-Oak Foods, has had its parking lot converted into the Disaster Support Center. Volunteers check in for any assignments. Residents can pick up supplies and water.

The Red Cross provides meals to people working in town. You pick up noon and evening hot meals.

The original levee protecting Oakville has not been repaired. A temporary levee was created extended south from the original levee that had not been damaged, crossed the K-Road and encompassed part of Walker Hollow Road.

The Iowa River has raised due to rain and is lapping against the temporary levee. There are houses west of the levee that are currently under water and may stay that way until the original levee is repaired. It has been reported this may not start until some time this fall.