Mike Ladehoff

One of the things I have been focusing on early in my term as Mayor, is making Marshalltown more resilient. What exactly does that mean?

Being a “resilient community” means that we are ready for what Mother Nature throws our way.

We can argue about why disasters are happening more often, but it’s clear to anyone paying attention that disasters are happening more often. Storms are much more destructive when they happen now.

Marshalltown is very experienced in disasters, pandemics and heath-related issues. This past storm on Wednesday tested us again.

In my years in Scouting, you quickly learned the motto of “Be Prepared.” It’s a very basic and a good motto to live by.

In big disasters, FEMA can help out. But, what most people don’t know is that most of the financial help is a reimbursement of some of the costs after a disaster. Reimbursement! In other words, the City must pay for the damages and manpower upfront, then fill out requests for reimbursement. Reimbursement from FEMA can take years to receive. This is why our City must have some funds held back if a disaster strikes. The City Insurance through ICAP plays a big part of damages to City buildings, but not everything.

We are also lucky to have Kim Elder as our Marshall County EMS Director. Not only is it important to have available funds for a disaster, but to have a coordinated response to the disaster making the most of our resources and manpower. Strict lines of responsibilities are set up getting the best response to the most people. Our Police Department , our Fire Department, other City Departments plus other agencies like United Way, The Salvation Army and the Red Cross jump in. All told, I would wager that there are over 300 people trained and ready to go at the drop of a hat.

But, we all know they can’t do everything alone. It is important that you be prepared too!

Being a resilient City means our citizens must also be resilient. Prepare for all special needs. Pets, children, elderly, medications, special equipment and how they will be taken if needing to leave or how to use them without electricity or water. Planning ahead with durable medical equipment vendors such as oxygen providers is essential. Have a small backpack or bag that is ready to go with each personnel in the household if needing to go to a shelter or evacuate. Those essentials can vary but tailor to the needs of the individual. Have enough supplies such as food and water for at least 72 hours in your home.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world”

-Mahatma Gandhi

In nearly every classroom I visited, students wanted more robots or dinosaurs.

I’m still processing this…..

Mike Ladehoff is the mayor of Marshalltown.