Dealing with Disasters

Dealing with Stress

Everyone is susceptible to the stress caused by natural disasters. The following resources provide information to help you deal with stress.

• Managing and Coping with Stress across the Lifespan
  • ISU Extension Publications on Managing and Coping with Stress
  • Encouraging Family Communication after a Disaster—from University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
  • Information for family caregivers—from eXtension.org
  • Coping with Disaster —from Mental Health America
  • After a Natural Disaster: Coping with Loss—from University of Minnesota Extension
• Stress in Children
  • Help Children Cope with a Disaster—from ISU Extension
  • Disaster Preparedness to Meet Children’s Needs—from American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Children’s Health in the Aftermath of Floods—from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Children as Victims of Natural Disasters—from Purdue Extension
  • Understanding the Impact of Disasters on the Lives of Children and Youth—from University of Arizona Extension
  • Global Disasters: Helping Children Cope—from National Association of School Psychologists
  • Resources for Educators —from University of Illinois Extension
  • Resources for Parents and Teachers —from FEMA for Kids
  • School Safety and Crisis Resources —from National Association of School Psychologists 

Clean up

• Recovery for Home Landscaping —(09/2011) outlines what to consider when beginning the process of recovering trees, shrubs, perennials, lawns and vegetable gardens.
• Storm Recovery Guide — information on safety and household cleanup after tornadoes, floods and other disasters. This guide was created by LSU AgCenter and edited by Iowa State University Extension experts for use in Iowa.
• Resources for Your Flooded Home — information to help you get your life back to normal after a flood. The guide was compiled by University of Missouri Extension.
• DNR fact sheets — outline correct disposal of flood damaged items - sandbag disposal, building materials, wet grains, appliances, hazardous materials, etc.
• Hiring Contractors After a Disaster — outlines what to look for in a reliable contractor and offers a worksheet for selecting and hiring contractors.
• Testing Water from Private Wells — information from the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa.
• Creating a Healthy Home: A Field Guide for Clean-up of Flooded Homes — tells how to clean up after flooding, but does not describe how to rebuild. By Enterprise Community Partners Inc. and the National Center for Healthy Housing, this guide is meant for do-it-yourselfers and contractors who need to clean up mold in flooded homes before starting to rebuild or renovate.
• Repairing Your Flooded Home — gives step-by-step advice for clean up, rebuilding and getting help after a flood; by the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Rehabbing Flooded Houses: A Guide for Builders and Contractors — for professional builders and contractors rehabbing flooded single-family houses.
• Assessing, Repairing and Rebuilding Basements — a series of ISU Extension publications available to download in PDF format.
• Flood Cleanup: Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems — discusses problems caused by microbial growth, as well as other potential effects of flooding, on long-term indoor air quality and the steps you can take to lessen these effects with emphasis on residential flood cleanup
• A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home  — provides information and guidance for homeowners and renters on how to clean up residential mold problems and how to prevent mold growth; from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Resolving Mold Problems—(10/2010 webinar) presented by Kenneth Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension.
• Restoring Flooded Buildings: A Homeowner's Next Steps — (10/2011 webinar) presented by Kenneth Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension.

Financial Concerns

• Recovery after Disaster: The Family Financial Toolkit  — strategies and tools that can help you move along the road toward financial recovery. The toolkit was created by University of Minnesota Extension, North Dakota State University Extension Service and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.
• Storm Recovery Guide — information on documenting losses and claims, insurance and credit. This guide was created by LSU AgCenter and edited by Iowa State University Extension experts in 2008  for use in Iowa.
• Disaster Recovery: A Guide to Financial Issues — helps you regain a sense of financial balance following a disaster. This guide is a joint effort of the National Endowment for Financial Education, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Red Cross.
• Price Gouging Rule Takes Effect in Six Counties — (6/2/11) from the Office of the Attorney General, Iowa Department of Justice
• Iowa Individual Disaster Assistance Grant Program -- offers grants to families with incomes at or below twice the federal poverty index.
• Disaster Recovery Journal app -- This smart phone app from North Dakota State University Extension helps you record information about damages to your home and property using text, images and audio.

   

Tips for businesses threatened by floods

• CIRAS urges importance of flood emergency planning
• Iowa Small Business Development Centers
• DNR fact sheets — outline correct disposal of flood damaged items - building materials, wet grains, appliances, hazardous materials, etc.

Crops

Topic-specific resources for ag-related issues following a flood are available for Iowa crop concerns from Iowa State University Extension and agricultural issues compiled by the Extension Disaster Education Network.

• Soil
  • Spring Seed Cover Crops to Help Recover Flooded Fields—Feb. 2012
  • Management Considerations for Post Flooding Soils—Nov. 2011
  • Flood Recovery for Cropland - Sept. 12 webinar
    • Repairing Flood-Damaged Farm Fields—September 2011
    • Flooded Soil Syndrome—September 2011
    • Cover Crops for Soil Health—September 2011
    • Flood Damaged Crops, Crop Insurance Payments and Lease Contracts—September 2011
  • Understanding and Managing Soil Compaction - PM 1901B
  • Soil Erosion and Water Quality - PM 1901E
  • Sept. 12, 2011 Webinar, Flood Recovery for Cropland -- Extension staff from Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln addressed questions raised by receding Missouri River floodwaters. Follow these links to watch the webcast: Introduction; Sedimentation and Debris Removal; Managing Post Flooding Soils; Cover Crops for Soil Health; Leases and Crop Insurance on Flooded Land; Flood Information for Crop Lands Q & A.
• Forages
  • Renovating Pastures or Hay Meadows Damaged by Flooding
• Related Topics
  • Flooding and Stored Grain
  • Assessing Private Well Safety After Flooding
  • DNR fact sheets — outline correct disposal of flood damaged items - building materials, wet grains, appliances, hazardous materials, etc.
  • Weather and Climate
  • Many of the items listed above were first published on the ISU Extension Integrated Crop Management News site.

Livestock Concerns

• The Iowa Beef Center has a flood resources page for cattle producers.
• Forage Crops
  • Forage and Cover Crop Considerations for Delayed Planting and Flooded Sites
  • Summer Flooding of Hay Fields and Pastures
  • Wet Spring Forage Planting Considerations
• Carcass Disposal
  • Swine Composting
  • Cattle Composting / Emergency Composting
  • DNR Dead Animal FAQ
• Other topics
  • Flooding and Mosquitoes
• These Iowa State University-based organizations also offer resources to the Iowa livestock industry.
  • Iowa Manure Management Action Group
  • Iowa Beef Center
  • Iowa Pork Industry Center