ROCK VALLEY, Iowa (KELO) — Clean-up efforts are underway in Rock Valley, Iowa. A levee break along the Rock River flooded the west side of town over the weekend.
Families in Rock Valley have been hard at work cleaning up their homes, and residents like Dawn DeWit are assessing the damage.
“The wiring has got to be shot. It was all underwater, obviously. Mold. That’s why we’re trying to get the sheetrock off the walls, get the insulation pulled out,” Rock Valley resident Dawn DeWit said.
Today’s dry and hot weather is a welcome site, but it made work a little harder.
“We’re trying to drink as much as we can. We had friends bringing watermelon and trying to keep some nourishment in. The watermelon helps with the fluid. Just trying our best,” DeWit said.
People also took breaks at Faith Reformed Church, where they were serving chicken sandwiches. There was also non-perishable food, clothing and shoes available, and the American Red Cross set up cots and a trailer for showers.
“They have lost so much, but this is the beginning point. As time goes on and people start getting into their houses and recover, we will be coming in with more and more services to families as they begin the recovery process,” American Red Cross spokesperson Peter Teahen said.
These next couple weeks will not be easy for Rock Valley, but their tight-knit town and the surrounding communities will get them through.
“This morning, I had no idea who was in my house, and they were people from Sioux Center, Center Fresh, came and they hauled all the carpet out,” DeWit said.