T-R PHOTO By HANS MADSEN People work to clean up from the devastating tornado on Friday morning. There are a variety of resources being offered throughout the community for those affected by the tornado.

A variety of resources are available to those affected by the tornado that came through Marshalltown. Here are some of them.

The Red Cross established the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA as Friday’s emergency shelter for those displaced by the tornado. Thursday night, the Red Cross shelter served 28 people at the Meskwaki Conference Center in Tama. “Emergency response vehicles are now in the hardest hit neighborhoods in Marshalltown providing water, snacks and supplies for the cleanup effort,” the Red Cross said in a statement. “Hy-Vee is also supporting our feeding efforts and will be providing food for the Red Cross to deliver in the community and serve at the shelter.”

Marshalltown City Hall was closed Friday. This impacts Finance, Engineering, Parks and Recreation and Housing and Community Development. More information about hours for next week will be posted when available.

As the city continues to begin to clean up debris and tree damage, citizens can access the following resources.

The Compost Facility at 901 Woodland Street will be open for free tree debris drop-off until further notice, closing at 8 p.m. each evening. No building debris will be accepted.

The City has placed a dumpster for the disposal of storm debris from the downtown damage. The dumpster is located behind the Tremont building in the parking lot.

The Salvation Army will be registering volunteers at their Hy-Vee location. If you would like to volunteer or need a volunteer please stop by the Salvation Army while they are set up at Hy-Vee.

State Farm released the following statement:

“I wanted to share that Wells Fargo’s downtown Marshalltown branch sustained limited damage when the tornado struck on Thursday. We are thankful there were no injuries to customers or team members,” said Steve Carlson, vice president of Wells Fargo Corporate Communications. “Once power is restored, we will be able to further assess impact to technology and make any repairs needed to reopen the branch. In the meantime, we encourage customers to visit our Marshalltown South branch at 2703 Center St.”

From Kelly Pargett, Public Affairs Brand Promotion Specialist –

“State Farm agents have been on the ground assessing damage since the tornadoes hit yesterday. In addition to the local resources working the storm, a deployed catastrophe team from across the country is assisting in recovery. We encourage customers to start the claim process as soon as they can and take steps – once safe – to prevent further damage.

Customers can start the claim process by contacting their agent, calling 1-800-SFCLAIM, using the State Farm mobile app or reporting a claim through www.statefarm.com.

We are encouraging policyholders to report damage and here’s how:

Insurance Considerations –

· Document damage by taking photos

· If you make temporary repairs to prevent further damage, remember to keep your receipts, so you’ll have a record for the claim adjuster for reimbursements. And take pictures of those repairs.

· If you have experienced a power outage, never use candles for emergency lighting, use flashlights. Disconnect any appliances, equipment or electronics that were on when the power went out.

· When power comes back on, it may come back with momentary “surges” or “spikes” that can damage computers and motors in air conditioners, refrigerators, etc. Leave one light on so you know when the power returns.

· Avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer. This will help keep your food as fresh as possible. Be sure to check food for signs of spoilage.

· Use generators safely. If you have a portable generator, only run it outdoors with adequate ventilation. Never use a generator indoors or in attached garages. The exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide, which can be deadly if inhaled.

· Your homeowner policy may cover spoiled food and other damages as a result of power outages, subject to the deductible. Check with your insurance company to see if your homeowner policy covers damages resulting from outages.

Contractor Tips –

While there are many good contractors in the state, please be wary of those who might try to capitalize on the storm:

· Don’t pay anything up front.

· Get everything in writing.

· Get references and a physical business address of the contractor.

· Do not accept an offer for a contractor to pay your deductible as an incentive to get your business.

· Be cautious of contractors doing the same work for considerably less money than other bids received.

Meskwaki Nation released the following information about assistance. “Some of our tribal members and families have been impacted by this disaster, and the tribe has put immediate supports into place including the following:

Shelter: Impacted families are able to stay at the Best Western located at 2210 West. St. South Grinnell in the city of Grinnell.

Clean up: The apprenticeship program will be providing immediate cleanup services to impacted families in Marshalltown.

Emergency Funds: Meskwaki Tribal operations will be providing gift cards to families with immediate needs for food, toiletries, and infant/toddler supplies.

Families affected by the storm can come to the Senior Center for lunch and have access to the Food Pantry.

Anyone receiving assistance will need to fill out an emergency assistance form and provide identification and proof of address with a license/state id/tribal id and utility bill or another proof of address. Forms will be available at the tribal center and on the Meskwaki Nation website. Gift cards can be picked up at the Executive Office today from 9-4:30pm and after hours by contacting Oliviah Walker at 641-481-5031 and arranging pick up.

Tribal Operations is collecting water/Gatorade donations to assist with relief efforts.”

Glenwood Place and a sister company in Ankeny said they both have some units available for displaced seniors of Marshalltown, Brooke Davis, Community Relations Coordinator for Glenwood Place Retirement Community said in an email to the T-R. For additional information, please call her at Glenwood Place. 641-752-8410.

As damage assessment continues, locals are asked to stay away from impacted areas. At a press conference Friday morning Marshalltown officials said there were no causalities and no serious injuries.

The Marshalltown Art Fest that was set for Saturday in downtown Marshalltown was cancelled.

The House of Compassion is closed until further notice because there is too much structural impact to be safe. They ask that people please stay away from the building.

Donate

The Marshalltown Central Business District is collecting donations for the recovery of buildings, businesses and homes in the downtown district. Fund allocation will be decided once things settle down and the need is assessed, the MCBD said in a release.

The MCBD said they would put your funding toward recovery and repair efforts and not toward programs of MCBD. Checks can be made out to Marshalltown Main Street Partnership and delivered to the Main Street Office, and put “Downtown District Tornado Recovery” in the memo.

Contact MCBD director Jenny Etter, director@marshalltownmainstreet.org, or MCBD board president Nate McCormick, Nathan.McCormick@emerson.com, with questions. Online donation link: https://donorbox.org/recovery-support-for-downtown-business-district.

Mid-Iowa Community Action has also set up a fund where people can make donations to aid families affected by the tornado. People can donate at www.micaonline.org, where the pop up will direct you to the methods of donation. All funds MICA receives will be used to directly assist families in Marshalltown who have been affected for uninsured losses.