Our third stop today brought us to a community I have been to several times in the last two years - Parkersburg.
When people think of the disasters of 2008, your thoughts immediately turn to Parkersburg. It all began here with an F5 tornado that destroyed a third of the town, and then continued when it was flooded after a levee gave way. And of course, the tragedy continued last year when their beloved football coach - Ed Thomas - was killed.
But despite the setbacks, this community has never lost its spirit. They banded together, and have rebuilt the town they love so much.
We got to town a few minutes early, and drove through the area that was hit by the tornado. The progress they have made is just amazing. You wouldn't have believed that just 18 months ago, where we were standing at City Hall, was an area cluttered with debris.
This community is a model for rebuilding from a disaster. So far, more than $16 million has been spent on Parkersburg's recovery. 80% of the houses have been rebuilt. And in the last two school years, despite all the challenges, enrollment has increased at the school.
And its recovery is not done yet.
Two weeks ago, we announced that Parkersburg received more than $1.5 million for the construction of a new storm sewer through community development dollars at the state Dept. Of Economic Development. This is vital to the community's rebuilding efforts, and will help this city grow into the future.
When people think of the disasters of 2008, your thoughts immediately turn to Parkersburg. It all began here with an F5 tornado that destroyed a third of the town, and then continued when it was flooded after a levee gave way. And of course, the tragedy continued last year when their beloved football coach - Ed Thomas - was killed.
But despite the setbacks, this community has never lost its spirit. They banded together, and have rebuilt the town they love so much.
We got to town a few minutes early, and drove through the area that was hit by the tornado. The progress they have made is just amazing. You wouldn't have believed that just 18 months ago, where we were standing at City Hall, was an area cluttered with debris.
This community is a model for rebuilding from a disaster. So far, more than $16 million has been spent on Parkersburg's recovery. 80% of the houses have been rebuilt. And in the last two school years, despite all the challenges, enrollment has increased at the school.
And its recovery is not done yet.
Two weeks ago, we announced that Parkersburg received more than $1.5 million for the construction of a new storm sewer through community development dollars at the state Dept. Of Economic Development. This is vital to the community's rebuilding efforts, and will help this city grow into the future.
I am proud of the work the Culver/Judge Administration has done to help this community rebuild. But the real heroes here are the people of Parkersburg, and the Governor and I are looking forward to being a partner with them for many years to come.
Now we are on the road. After a brief interview in Grundy Center, we are going to head to our last stop at Iowa Falls.
Until next time,
Patty
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