Matt Stoller found this shameful tidbit in the Congressional Record from last Friday. The speaker is Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who is mad that some senators want to find budget cuts to offset disaster aid for Iowa:

So I don’t want anybody telling me that we have to offset a disaster relief package for the Midwest where people are hurting, when we didn’t do it for New Orleans. Why the double standard? Is it because people aren’t on rooftops complaining for helicopters to rescue them, and you see it on television too much? We aren’t doing that in Iowa. We are trying to help ourselves in Iowa. We have a can-do attitude. It doesn’t show up on television like it did in New Orleans for 2 months.

Open Left commenter SpitBall raises an excellent point–a better question is “why federal aid to the flood victims in Iowa should require a budgetary offset, when the invasion [and] occupation of Iraq does not.”

But getting back to Grassley’s comment, it disturbs me that he would denigrate the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Can’t he just praise Iowans without portraying us as better than those no-good complainers in New Orleans?

And suppose the Iowa floods had left thousands of people trapped in their homes, unable to escape on foot or by vehicle. Is he saying Iowans would not stand on their roofs hoping to be rescued? Would we build our own rafts, or what?

The Iowa flooding this summer was unprecedented, but we didn’t have whole neighborhoods of people stranded without food or water the way New Orleans did the first couple of days after Katrina hit.

The unspoken contrast in Grassley’s comment is that (white) Iowans are better people than (black) Katrina victims.

Right-wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh started pushing this meme right away last month. Iowa conservative blogger Emily Geiger picked up the talking point from Rush or some other radio host and ran with it:

Iowans can fix most things ourselves. It’s just a matter of who is going to pay for it all after the fact. This isn’t like New Orleans, where (I heard some relief worker on the radio the other day say that) out-of-state volunteers had to wake up residents at 10 a.m. so that the volunteers could get inside the houses where the residents then sat around and watched the volunteers work.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: when the going gets tough, count on Republicans to make people feel better by reinforcing their racist stereotypes.

Meanwhile, Democratic Representatives Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell did something constructive on Thursday. They jointly wrote to Steve Preston, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, asking for the immediate release of $30 million in Community Development Block Grants to Iowa.

The full text of their letter to the HUD secretary, along with a joint press release explaining some background, is after the jump.

Iowa businesses in areas affected by recent flooding will have an extra month this summer to remit withholding, unemployment and sales tax for activity from April 1 to June 30. The floods cut off cash flow for many businesses, and the extension is intended to give them time to secure Small Business Administration or other loans before they have to make tax payments.

More details are in the press release from State Representative Tyler Olson, which is after the jump. Olson is a first-term incumbent in House district 38, which includes parts of Cedar Rapids. He requested the extension after being contacted by a business owner.  

The Center on Sustainable Communities (COSC) sent out an e-mail reminding members that Habitat for Humanity’s eight Restores in Iowa are available to help people affected by the flooding rebuild.

The full text of the e-mail is after the jump. It includes contact information for Restores in Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Hiawatha (suburb of Cedar Rapids), Iowa City, Mason City, Sioux City, and Waterloo.

Click here to learn more about COSC’s mission and work in our state.

Sorry for the short notice–tonight, Wednesday the 16th, there will be a “Ridin’ the Storm Out” flood benefit concert at Prairie Meadows in Altoona.

A $20 donation gets you in the door. There will be a silent auction as well.

All proceeds go toward flood relief, and Polk County will match donations dollar for dollar.

Opening act Little River Band (a 70s group that I love) will come on stage at 6:30 pm.

REO Speedwagon comes on at 8:00 pm.

More info here:

http://www.rocktheflood.org/

If you want to contribute your time, energy and expertise toward helping Iowa communities recover and rebuild after this summer’s floods, consider applying to serve on one of these nine task forces.

Act quickly, because I heard they will be appointing task force members soon:

GOVERNOR CULVER, LT. GOVERNOR JUDGE CALL ON IOWANS TO APPLY FOR REBUILD IOWA TASK FORCES

To apply, Iowans should complete and return attached application form, also available on-line at flood2008.iowa.gov

Governor Chet Culver and Lt. Governor Patty Judge are inviting Iowans to apply for a position on one of the nine new Rebuild Iowa task forces, which will help create a vision for Iowa’s recovery efforts.

“As the flood waters rose, we saw the strength, resilience and determination of Iowans shine through as our state joined together to save our homes, businesses, and communities,” said Governor Chet Culver.  “Now, we must tap into this same spirit of service as Iowans begin down the road to recovery.  I call on Iowans from across the state to help our friends and neighbors in need, and serve on one of these nine Rebuild Iowa task forces.  By locking arms and working together, I am confident that we can rebuild our state, stronger and better than before.”

Last month, Governor Culver signed his seventh executive order, which created the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission.  To be chaired by Gen. Ron Dardis of the Iowa National Guard, the 15 member commission is designed to help guide our state’s recovery efforts.  The Executive Order specifically calls for the creation of task forces to help guide the commission’s work.

“These task forces are an important step in helping Iowans recover from this year’s historic and severe flooding,” said Lt. Governor Patty Judge.  “The Governor and I look forward to working with the Rebuild Iowa Commission, the nine task forces, and all Iowans as we begin the difficult work of rebuilding our state and returning life to normal for all Iowans.

The nine task forces created are:

   * Housing

   * Flood Plain Management and Hazard Mitigation

   * Infrastructure and Transportation

   * Economic and Workforce Development

   * Cultural Heritage and Records Retention

   * Public Health and Health Care

   * Long-Term Recovery Planning

   * Agriculture and Environment

   * Education

Iowans interested in applying should complete and return attached application form, also available on-line at http://flood2008.iowa.gov

A friend forwarded this to me. Please pass it on to anyone who wants to come volunteer in Iowa communities that were hit by this month’s floods.

The Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service has just launched a statewide volunteer registration system so anyone who is interested in volunteering their time to help with recovery efforts can sign up and can be easily connected to local needs.  We are also helping with a huge statewide recruitment effort for AmeriCorps members that can be deployed to affected areas.

If any of you get calls from people or groups who want to volunteer to help with flood recovery efforts, please direct them to http://www.Flood2008.iowa.gov – on the left side of that page, they can use the “Volunteer Opportunities” or “AmeriCorps Volunteers” links for more information.

[…]

On the Web:

ICVS  – www.volunteeriowa.org

Iowa’s Promise – www.iowaspromise.org

Iowa Mentoring Partnership – www.iowamentoring.org

It sounds like they are still compiling the list of where volunteers are most needed in Iowa.

I checked the site, and it seems that you need to register as a disaster volunteer first. Then coordinating agencies will get in touch with you by e-mail to connect you with a community in need of assistance.

This fabulous tip was in the latest e-mail update from the Center on Sustainable Communities (a great non-profit organization, by the way):

Flood Clean-up

Stay away from bleach

Our first instinct is to bring out the chlorine to disinfect and kill mold. But a study conducted by Professor Jeffrey Morrell, Dept. of Wood Science, Oregon State University found that bleach “doesn’t eliminate the surface micro flora.” It doesn’t kill the roots of the mold, only bleaches it so we think it’s been cleaned away when it hasn’t. So not only is it ineffective, its fumes are harmful to both humans and the environment.

Try This Instead

Mix:

2 ounces of borax and

1 cup of white vinegar

Spray on the mold, let sit for up to 60 minutes and then wipe the area. The mixture will prevent mold from growing back.

— from After the Flood, Green Living Online

http://www.greenlivingonline.com

This website of a certified toxic mold inspection company confirms that “Chlorine Bleach is NOT Recommended for Mold Remediation.”

Here’s another document explaining “Why Chlorine Bleach is Not Effective in Killing Mold.”

The Green Guide briefly summarizes the health and environmental risks associated with household bleach here.

Using chlorine bleach indoors generates chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which may be carcinogenic. Household bleach also causes numerous accidental poisonings in children.

Click here to find a pdf file on Safer Cleaning Products from the Washington Toxics Coalition.

General non-toxic cleaning tips can also be found here.

Spread the word to anyone you know whose home suffered water damage this summer.

Heavy rains and flooding across Iowa have created a wonderful environment for mosquito populations to explode. I rode to and from Grinnell on Friday and saw field after field with huge pools of standing water, even after a solid week of sunny weather in central Iowa.

Mr. desmoinesdem heard someone from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say on Iowa Public Radio that mosquito counts this summer are about seven times higher than they were at the same time last year.

The Des Moines Register ran two articles about mosquitoes within the past week. The good news is that the mosquitoes that thrive in puddles on saturated ground are largely “nuisance species that can’t efficiently spread West Nile virus,” according to Ann Garvey, state public health veterinarian for the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The bad news is that experts cited in the Register are still encouraging people to use DEET-based insect repellents. The Register reported that the IDPH recommends “DEET at less than 30 percent concentrations to avoid potential health problems, including neurological problems.”

Dr. Denis Reavis, an urgent care physician at Mercy North in Ankeny quoted in this Register article, said DEET is the most effective way to prevent mosquito bites. The Register added:

DEET comes in different strengths for kids and adults. Babies less than 2 months old should not come in any contact with DEET.

Having researched this issue a few years ago after my older son was born, I would not recommend that anyone, even adults, use DEET in a household with children.

The Environmental Protection Agency does not permit DEET products to be labeled “child safe” and requires labels directing parents not to allow children to handle the product. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Environmental Protection Agency both recommend precautions when applying DEET to children, such as washing skin treated with DEET as well as treated clothing when children return inside. Few families find it practical to bathe their children and wash their clothing every time they come in from outside during the summer.

Kids Health for Parents, a web site published by the Nemours Foundation, recommends that repellents containing DEET be used “sparingly” on children between the ages of 2 and 12 and not put on their faces or hands, because children so frequently put their hands in their mouths.

The Lyme Disease Foundation has this advice for keeping ticks away: “On skin, use a repellent containing DEET. But don’t overdo it. Too much bug spray can cause breathing difficulty, especially in children.”

In any event, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has found that “picaridin and the oil of lemon eucalyptus provide the same level of protection [from mosquitoes] as DEET.”

I’ve tried several of the natural bug repellents mentioned in this piece, including Buzz Away, Buzz Away Extreme and Bug Ease. They all seem to work equally well. The main difference between them and DEET is that you have to reapply the natural repellents more frequently, about every one to two hours. Usually that’s no problem for me, because I only need it when I walk the dog or take the kids to the park for an hour or two.

Toddlerdesmoinesdem and I were just out on the deck watering the tomato and basil plants.

For a month I was worried they’d die from being too waterlogged, but it’s been mostly dry and sunny for the last ten days. All the water in the collection saucer under the tomatoes finally evaporated, and the soil was starting to feel too dry.

UPDATE: Of course, a rain shower hit us a few hours after we watered the plants!  

Some conservative Iowa bloggers didn’t take kindly to my recent post about their reaction to the floods.

Emily Geiger of Battleground Iowa seems pretty angry at the “uninformed” liberals who disagreed with her suggestion that state officials wait to see what the federal government provides before appropriating money for flood relief and reconstruction:

It seems my post was (intentionally) misinterpreted to mean that Iowans should sit on their heinies and wait for the feds to come in and fix everything.

Iowans can fix most things ourselves. It’s just a matter of who is going to pay for it all after the fact. This isn’t like New Orleans, where (I heard some relief worker on the radio the other day say that) out-of-state volunteers had to wake up residents at 10 a.m. so that the volunteers could get inside the houses where the residents then sat around and watched the volunteers work.

What would we do without conservative talk radio to reinforce our latent racist stereotypes? It’s a good thing we Iowans are not lazy like most residents of New Orleans are! We’ll have our towns fixed up in no time.

The main point of Geiger’s post, though, was that we don’t need to change state law to permit deficit spending, which would “give Supreme Iowa Democrat Mike Gronstal lots more (borrowed) money to throw around to his liberal buddies at the expense of Iowa taxpayers (and our grandchildren).” She notes that according to Krusty Konservative, state funds accounted for just 1 percent of the $1.4 billion spent on flood relief in Iowa after the 1993 floods. So by her calculation, we shouldn’t have to deplete our $600 million rainy day fund, even if much more damage was done in this year’s flooding.

Now, Krusty makes some valid points in that post, but let’s not kid ourselves. The federal government incurs huge annual deficits and is deeply in debt. Those costs are going to be passed on to our children and grandchildren.

So it’s disingenuous to pretend to be all about fiscal responsibility and living within our means if your main response to the floods is, “Let the federal government pay for everything.” That money comes from taxpayers as well.

Striker of In Flyover Country agrees with Geiger and with “EFJ,” a commenter on The Real Sporer who wrote:

We are missing the obvious here. We must follow some logical course of action:

1. Assess actual costs of flood recovery.

2. What costs are responsibility of the whole? (I hate to say government, because government is us and only has money they confiscated from us.)

3. What costs are the responsibility of the individualprivate sector?

4. Evaluate what should reasonably be done. (not all buildings, homes, businesses, and schools have some absolute right to be rebuilt. Prioritizing is ok)

5. Figure out how to pay for the work.

a. $600 million rainy day fund. No coincedence [sic] the name fits. It is a term started in our agrarian society to describe dealing with flooding.

b. CUT SOME FAT!!!

(I know, I know, there’s no fat in government. Every program is important as it buys another constituency group of “looters” for liberals)

The problem can be solved without borrowing, but it won’t because liberals will employ their hyperbole and make this about caring for the poor, and disenfranchised, the children, and the elderly.

The best way to to care for the future of Iowa is to NOT incur debt if at all possible.

Well, obviously, the costs of flood recovery will be assessed, including which costs are the responsibility of the individual/private sector.

And obviously, not every building will be rebuilt, just as Johnnie’s Vets Club in Valley Junction and the Holiday Inn on Fleur Drive were not rebuilt after the 1993 flooding. No one, not Chet Culver, not Mike Gronstal, and not David Yepsen, has said we must borrow enough money to rebuild every structure that was damaged in the floods.

Republicans always talk about “cutting the fat” as the answer for every budget problem, but sometimes, when a major calamity strikes, there just isn’t enough fat to cut.

As I said in my earlier post, it’s quite telling that Yepsen, who never met a tax cut he didn’t like and loves to write columns about fiscal responsibility, recognizes that we probably will need to borrow to address some of the flood reconstruction costs.

Most economists, even conservative Republicans, understand the need for deficit spending under some circumstances–for instance, to prevent a recession from becoming a depression. I believe even President Bush has made that argument to justify his own administration’s deficit spending.

We’re not going to rebuild Iowa’s infrastructure, homes and businesses without deficit spending. The question is whether all the deficit spending will be at the federal level, or whether the state may also have to go into debt to get the job done quickly and comprehensively.

Iowa is fortunate in that both our U.S. senators have a lot of seniority, which should help us secure a large amount of federal funding. But I would be very surprised if federal disaster aid proved sufficient.

Even if it did, I don’t think a special legislative session is a bad idea. Iowa’s elected officials need to do the assessing and prioritizing that EFJ was talking about. I understand why that worries the conservative bloggers, because they don’t trust Democrats to do anything. But it is not “politicizing the floods” to convene our elected officials to deal with an enormous natural disaster.

One more thing jumped out at me in Krusty’s post. It’s amazing how “konservatives” see lowering corporate taxes as the solution to every problem (in this case, the problem of how to keep flood-damaged businesses from relocating outside Iowa).  

This column by Marc Hansen should be required reading:

John Morrissey, president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association, asks a good question.

“Here we have a levee the Corps of Engineers said would fail, and yet it hasn’t been rebuilt in 15 years. And why is that? Why have our leaders not taken up the banner to protect the people who live and work and put their sweat and tears in this town every day?”

[…]

Improvements were made to the Birdland-area levee. Money was spent after the 1993 soaking, but obviously not enough. Why?

These are some of the most vulnerable residents in the metro area. We’re talking about people who might not be getting paychecks for weeks or months, people who have the most to lose.

[…]

Zero in on the north side of town, however, and something wasn’t so right. Morrissey wants to know why the focus is on cosmetic projects like the Principal Riverwalk, at the expense of essential needs like keeping working-class neighborhoods dry.

[…]

The Birdland levee was approved for renovation. But when the flood arrived, it was still on the waiting list.

Here’s hoping the Des Moines Register will devote some investigative reporting to this matter in the coming months. The damage to the Birdland neighborhood caused more human suffering and will cost a lot more public money to fix than crimes committed at the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium (CIETC), which the Register covered at great length.

Also worth reading regarding the flooding:

href=”http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/OPINION01/806180345/1166/OPINION01″>This column by former Register editorial writer Bill Leonard, called “Eroded soil sends message: Step up conservation.”

This diary by Matthew Grimm on a benefit concert scheduled for tonight (Thursday, June 19) in Iowa City.

I don’t spend a lot of time reading conservative blogs, but my brief tour around Iowa’s Republican blogosphere yesterday revealed acute concern about the prospect of a special legislative session to address the recent historic flooding in much of the state.

We have thousands of Iowans needing assistance with housing, as well as huge clean-up and reconstruction tasks.

But the Flyover Country blog is convinced that the nasty Democrats are talking about a special session solely to reap political benefits. That blogger sees Democratic efforts to “politicize the floods” everywhere he looks. He names June 11 as the first day of this nefarious strategy, citing this story about Governor Chet Culver mobilizing National Guard units and talking about a possible special session of the legislature.

Side note: it seems like a distant memory, but back before George W. Bush was president, National Guard units were mostly used to deal with this kind of situation, rather than to fight foreign wars.

But I digress.

Why wouldn’t our elected officials convene to address such a huge catastrophe? The Iowa flooding has been dominating national news. I’ve gotten phone calls and e-mails from all over the country and even abroad, asking if we are ok and how bad the damage is.

Members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation (Republicans as well as Democrats) are working fast to get federal money to assist with cleanup and reconstruction efforts in flood-ravaged areas.

I expect representatives from other states to expedite this process, because the damage to Iowa’s infrastructure could have far-reaching economic effects. For more on that, read SlyDi’s piece, “How A Midwest Flood Can Drag Down A Nation.”

A different conservative blog, Battleground Iowa, thinks state officials and legislators should wait and see how much damage there is, how many people are insured, and what the federal government will do before getting the state involved.

In other words, “Don’t just do something–stand there!”

Do you think the public expects our elected officials to just wait and see who else will step in to deal with a historic natural disaster affecting tens of thousands of Iowans?

I would love to see Iowa Republicans come out against a special legislative session to focus on state flood relief and reconstruction efforts. Let them make the case for state government doing nothing.

The Real Sporer had a slightly different angle, taking offense mainly at the idea that Iowa might go into debt to pay for flood relief and reconstruction:

Democrat Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal’s knee jerk reaction saw only the opportunity to outspend the State’s emergency fund and incur debt to finance the difference.

Here’s a thought; if the emergency fund isn’t adequate to cover the socialist’s blue sky list of flood relief start cutting other items. Start with a deep Dave Vaudt audit over at the Departments of Education and Human Services. At a time when Iowa will have thousands of real victims of tragic circumstance on our hands when would be a better time to ask why the cost of education is five times faster than the general rate of inflation in Iowa’s larger economy?

Please, Republicans, please tell Iowans that we should cut education spending if our state’s “rainy day fund” is not sufficient to cover the cost of flood relief.

Seriously, when even the notorious tax-hating deficit hawk David Yepsen says we need to “Borrow to bankroll massive rebuilding,” it’s time for Republicans to question their automatic distrust of every government effort to help people.

Just to show that I don’t automatically distrust every comment by every Republican, State 29 raises some valid questions about government support for economic development in flood zones (even if I don’t share all of his conclusions).

Also, I agree with Krusty Konservative that it was inappropriate for Senator Wally Horn (who represents much of the Cedar Rapids area) to say, “These are good loyal Democrats, and they need our help.”

Residents of flood-ravaged areas deserve equal attention from the government, no matter what their voting patterns.

I was offended when the Bush administration was quicker to get post-Katrina aid to Mississippi than to the most devastated areas of New Orleans, and I would be offended if officials in Iowa seemed to favor certain towns or neighborhoods because of how their residents vote.

We don’t make a huge deal out of “Hallmark holidays” in our family, but I still want to congratulate Mr. desmoinesdem. This man can wear a baby in a sling as well as building impressive structures with Legos and wooden blocks.

I’m also thinking of Nate Willems, Democratic candidate in Iowa House district 29. He and his wife welcomed their first child into the world a few weeks ago. I hope they are staying dry in Linn County.

Congratulations also to Iowa City blogger John Deeth, who became a first-time grandfather this spring. He must be exhausted from sandbagging his home and helping out in other parts of town.

Use this as an open thread for discussing any father you’re thinking of today.

An e-mail from Senator Tom Harkin reminded Iowans that there is an “Iowa Concern” hotline for those in need.

If you have been affected by the recent severe weather and flooding, you can call 1-800-447-1985.

More information is here on the ISU extension’s website:

http://www.extension.iastate.e…

Daily Kos user DemocraticOz put up this diary about the unprecedented flooding in Cedar Rapids. Click here for photos, maps and important information about evacuation areas and the water supply in Cedar Rapids:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

Stay safe, everyone.

This just came in:

Contact: Brooke Borkenhagen

June 12, 2008                                                                              515-974-1680 (office)                                                                                                        507-317-4104 (cell)

Iowa Democratic Party Postpones State Convention

Des Moines – Chairman Scott Brennan announced today that the Iowa Democratic Party has postponed its State Convention due to the massive flooding and severe weather across Iowa.

“In the interest of public safety and out of concern for Iowans impacted by the flooding and severe weather, we have decided to postpone the Iowa Democratic Party State Convention,” said Brennan.  “As Iowans, we encourage everyone to work hand in hand with their neighbors on flood relief efforts across our state.”    

The Iowa Democratic Party will announce a new date and venue for the convention in the coming days.

Sensible decision. They can plan the state convention for the same weekend as the rescheduled Hall of Fame dinner.

We’ve been fortunate to have just a little bit of water in our basement in the past week. The devastation in northern and eastern Iowa has been incredible. Mason City is without potable water. A major bridge in Waterloo was destroyed, all bridges in downtown Cedar Rapids are closed, and Dubuque Street in Iowa City is under water near the Mayflower dorm.

Our CSA (community-supported agriculture) farmer couldn’t deliver her veggies to Des Moines this week, because the only road out of her farm near Kanawha is under water.

The Lefty Blogs Iowa page culls posts from quite a few blogs, and right now you’ll find a lot of coverage of the flooding there:

http://www.leftyblogs.com/iowa

The Iowa Democratic Party has postponed the Hall of Fame dinner scheduled for this Friday because of the flooding. I will let you know when they pick a new date for that event.

Use this as an open thread to tell us how you’ve been affected by the weather. Where you live, is it worse now or not as bad as in 1993?

Please post a comment if you know of another event scheduled for this week that has been moved, or postponed, because of flooding.

I got this press release from the DNR:

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Environmental Services Division

For Immediate Release                                                                

June 10, 2008

DNR’S ANNUAL RIVER CLEANUP EVENT POSTPONED DUE TO FLOODING

MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Soenen, DNR, Brian.Soenen AT dnr.iowa.gov or (515) 205-8587.

DES MOINES – Rising floodwaters have led the DNR to postpone its annual river cleanup event, Project AWARE, originally scheduled for June 14 to 21.

The cleanup event was scheduled to pull trash out of the Winnebago, Shell Rock and Cedar rivers from Mason City to Cedar Falls. All five counties AWARE planned to pass through – Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Cerro Gordo and Floyd – have been declared disaster areas by Governor Culver.

“For the safety of our participants, who canoe and wade these rivers to pull out trash, we’ve made the decision to postpone AWARE until later this summer,” said Brian Soenen, Project AWARE coordinator. “Our thoughts and best wishes go out to those people and communities affected by the flooding and we hope that the waters recede soon so the long cleanup process can begin.”

Since the first Project AWARE in 2003, the event has never been postponed or cancelled.

“We have always made plans for alternative options should conditions along the AWARE route be too dangerous,” said Jackie Gautsch, a natural resource biologist with the DNR’s IOWATER program. “But none of us were prepared for the onslaught of weather that has descended on Iowa this past month.”

A new date has not been set yet, but Project AWARE staff hopes to make that decision in the next week or two. The cleanup event will likely be held after Aug. 1 to allow the rivers to settle back into normal flows.

“We encourage everyone who had already registered for AWARE, as well as anyone else interested, to participate in the rescheduled event – after these floods, cleanup efforts may be even more crucial as receding floodwaters reveal debris and trash left behind in their wake,” said Soenen.

Project AWARE, or A Watershed Awareness River Expedition, is the DNR’s annual weeklong river cleanup event. Hundreds of Iowans volunteer a day to an entire week paddling Iowa rivers, pulling trash as they go. Participants also learn about water quality, wildlife conservation, recycling and other natural resource topics.

Writer: Jessie Brown

Also, Representative Tyler Olson has changed the location of his campaign kickoff event today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information: Tyler Olson 319-329-7730

June 10, 2008

Cedar Rapids–State Rep. Tyler Olson’s campaign kickoff event scheduled for Wednesday, June 11 has moved locations because of flooding in downtown Cedar Rapids.  The updated information for the event:

State Rep. Tyler Olson Re-Election Kickoff

Wednesday, June 11

4:45PM to 6:30PM

Paul Engle Center for Neighborhood Arts

1600 Fourth Avenue SE

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Speaking of which, if you are a candidate for the state legislature, don’t hesitate to e-mail me about upcoming campaign events so that I can include them on my weekly calendars.