MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCCI) —
President Donald Trump’s disaster declaration for Marshall County means millions of dollars will soon start flowing in to help rebuild after the tornadoes this summer.
The city of Marshalltown has already made a lot of progress in the two months since an EF3 tornado ripped through town. Now, although remnants from the storm still remain, the Marshalltown square is open, and so are many businesses.
Marshalltown resident Lonnie Hogeland can finally take a pair of shoes back to his favorite store, Brown Shoe Fit, on the Marshalltown square. Brown Shoe Fit opened about a week and a half after the tornado in July. Owner Tyler Peters said it was a frightening day.
“I was here during the tornado. We had six customers in the basement and two dogs,” Peters said.
Even after power was restored and the store opened, streets in front of the store were closed. Now, they’re bustling with cars, and business is returning.
“Our customers have been amazing, weathering through the storm,” Peters said. “They were understanding that sometimes you have to park a couple of blocks away to come see us, but they’re awesome and keep trekking out to us.”
“This was my first tornado, and you can’t put words to how bad it was,” said Hogeland, a lifelong resident. He said the town square is still a bit of a mess.
About $15 million worth of repairs are underway at the Marshall County Courthouse. The tornado damaged hundreds of homes, and many of them still look pretty rough. But Hogeland is optimistic.
“It’s got a lot more to go, but they are doing good,” he said. “People are cleaning things up (in) the streets. It’s getting there,” Hogeland said.
The new federal disaster declaration will help speed up recovery in Marshalltown, but it will take years before the city is back to normal.
The disaster declaration was also for Lee, Marion and Van Buren counties.
by Todd Magel (2018, September 13)
