The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance, the Greater Cedar Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the UNI Regional Business Center-SBDC will be holding two informational sessions for local businesses to educate them about their disaster assistance options this week. The sessions will take place on Thursday, June 19 at 4 p.m. on the main floor of the Black's Building in Waterloo and Friday, June 20 at 7:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn in Cedar Falls.

These sessions are geared toward businesses, and all businesses in the Cedar Valley are invited to attend either or both sessions. The organizations that will be in attendance include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The sessions are designed to provide information and answer questions; attendees will not be asked to fill out long applications.

Refreshments will be served at both sessions, and people attending are asked to come-as-you-are. For more information please contact one of the Chamber offices at (319) 233-8431 or (319) 266-3593.

Red Cross locater service available

The American Red Cross has a locater service to help people find family members and friends displaced by natural disasters. The toll-free number is 1-866-GET-INFO (438-4636).

Red Cross at UNI update

The Red Cross has closed the Evacuation Center in McLeod Center. The West Gym Shelter remains open with approximately 41 occupants.

The Red Cross is offering free tetanus shots at the West Gym. People who need a tetanus shot include those who have open cuts, wounds or abrasions and have been exposed to flood water. Tetanus is a disease characterized by painful muscle contractions, stiffness and convulsive spasms of the neck and upper body. It may be introduced into the body through puncture wounds which could be contaminated by animal or human feces. The disease is not spread from human to human.

City of Cedar Falls news release -- town hall meetings

CITY OF CEDAR FALLS NEWS RELEASE
June 13, 2008; 2:00 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Contact:

Susan Staudt, City of Cedar Falls City Attorney/Public Information Officer,

319-243-2700

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – There will be two Town Hall Meetings at North Cedar Elementary School, 2419 Fern Ave., on June 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from noon until 3 p.m.

Mayor Crews and City Council members will be present for the meetings to provide flood information to residents in the North Cedar area.

For Cedar Falls updates, go to http://www.cedarfalls.com

The University of Iowa Central Mail in Iowa City processes all of UNI's first-class and bulk U.S mail. The U of I mail center is being evacuated this afternoon. Officials hope to reopen shortly in an alternate location, if necessary.

U.S. mail bound for Cedar Falls has been diverted to Des Moines. Mail bound for Cedar Rapids also is being diverted to Des Moines. The situation could get worse if the flooding continues in Des Moines. For now, we expect the Cedar Falls Post Office to receive UNI mail this weekend. If so, UNI will pick-up, sort and deliver on Monday.

The UNI mail Center expects to continue campus mail deliveries as usual and all first-class mail received from the U.S. Postal Service will be delivered.

UNI departments should delay sending first-class and bulk mailings for the first part of next week. If there are first-class mailings that are time sensitive and must go out, departments will need to purchase first-class postage,and put the envelopes in campus mail. The UNI Mail Center will sort and deliver to the Cedar Falls Post Office -- however, there is no guarantee it will leave the Cedar Falls Post Office in a timely manner.

If possible, please use other communication methods rather than U.S. Mail. If you must us the U.S. Postal Service, we encourage you to use e-mail or other means to alert audiences that time-sensitive mail is being delayed by flooding. If you have questions, please contact Bill McKinley at 3-6109 or william.mckinley@uni.edu.

The Black Hawk County Health Department tetanus clinic located on the 5th Floor in the Pine Crest building at 1403 Independence Avenue will be closing today at 3:30 p.m. and will resume offering free tetanus shots Monday morning.

The outreach operations will continue where free tetanus shots will be at the West Gym Shelter on the UNI Campus in Cedar Falls this afternoon to flood evacuees and tornado victims.

Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. free tetanus shots and environmental health sanitation information will be available at the North Cedar School in Cedar Falls and at the Evansdale City Hall.

People who would need a tetanus shot include those who have open cuts, wounds or abrasions and have been exposed to or have been working in flood water.

Tetanus is a disease characterized by painful muscle contractions, stiffness and convulsive spasms of the neck and upper body. It may be introduced into the body through puncture wounds which are dirty with soil contaminated by animal or human feces. The disease is not spread from human to human.

Covenant Medical Center has an urgent need for volunteers to take down a MASH unit at Covenant, at the south end of the parking lot near San Marnan Road. At least 50 volunteers are needed. The job will take several hours, so if you can't make it until early afternoon, your help will still be needed at that time. If you can help, please report immediately to Covenant Medical Center's south parking lot.

Individual residents who suffered damage as a result of the flooding are urged to contact FEMA immediately for individual assistance at 1-800-621-3362.

Tips For Dealing With Flooding (PDF)

For Cedar Falls updates, go to http://www.cedarfalls.com

Urgent need:

Tomorrow (June 13) -- 10 people to transport, sort, move and do inventory at the Red Cross warehouse in Cedar Falls. Volunteers must provide their own transportation and must pre-register today.

If interested:

1. Respond today to Liz Conklin at 3-6728 or by e-mail at liz.conklin@uni.edu

2. Report to 102 Towers Center at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

CITY OF CEDAR FALLS NEWS RELEASE

June 12, 2008; 1:20 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Susan Staudt, City of Cedar Falls City Attorney/Public Information Officer

319-243-2700

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Residents who reside in North Cedar Falls may return to the area from the north via Waverly Road. Only residents and business owners will be admitted south of Lone Tree Road. There will be no traffic on Center Street between First and Clair Streets.

Residents must contact the Cedar Falls Building Inspection Office at 268-5161 or 268-5156 so that an Inspection Official can authorize re-entry to the home. Residents must use extreme caution, as it may be unsafe to enter homes due to structural, electrical, gas and sanitation concerns. Please refer to the attached information from FEMA regarding precautions to take after a flood, also located at www.fema.gov.

The following roads remain closed to all traffic:

Center Street between First Street and Clair Street
Dunkerton Road between Center Street and Big Woods Road
Fitkin Road
Lone Tree Road

People are advised that travel is risky upon previously flooded roadways, particularly at night.

The downtown area is open only for local renters, property and business owners. There will be limited access points and the general public will not be allowed in the area until further notice. People must be prepared to leave upon short notice if the conditions change.

Business owners may contact the state for assistance at the following phone numbers: 1-800-659-2955 and 916-216-9792.

People must stay off the levy as it is very dangerous to be near the floodwaters.

The Public Works Transfer Station is closed due to flooding of the facilities. Residents must take their own debris to the Black Hawk County Landfill. Regular refuse collection remains on schedule where possible.

The water is safe to drink; however, residents north of the Cedar River should use water on an extremely limited basis because the lift stations serving that area have failed. All residents in Cedar Falls are urged to continue water conservation efforts in order to prevent additional pressure upon the stressed collection system.

All City buildings, with the exception of City Hall, locations are experiencing phone problems. City Hall is open for regular business.

For Cedar Falls updates, go to http://www.cedarfalls.com

The City of Waterloo Streets Department is in need of volunteers to assist with sandbagging. Volunteers should report to the West High School parking lot off of Ridgeway Ave. A MET Transit bus will shuttle volunteers every 15 to 20 minutes to the location where sandbagging take place. Please bring your own gloves and a shovel.

UNI's Center for Urban Education has water coming into it's basement. The staff needs help during the next two to three hours hauling file cabinets and other items out of the building's lower lever. Volunteers are needed immediately. If you have a two-wheel hand-truck, please bring it.

Directions:
Take University Avenue to Ansborough Avenue in Waterloo
Turn left onto Ansborough, follow Ansborough past the Cattle Congress to the Sans Souci bridge
As your cross the bridge the street becomes Conger.
Follow Conger to Jefferson
Take Jeefferson to 4th
Take 4th to Sycamore.
UNI-Cue is located at 800 Sycamore in the Old Depot Building.

UNI contact: Nancy Scoggins-Rose, 433-1220.

http://www.uni.edu/eop/unicue/index.htm

The City of Cedar Falls advises all those affected by the flooding to take notice of the proper procedures for preventing or minimizing disease exposure when working in contaminated flood waters. Flood environments present many health and safety challenges for rescue workers, emergency responders and clean-up crews.

Please take notice of the specific guidelines listed in the OSHA Fact Sheet.

The City of Waterloo has an IMMEDIATE NEED for volunteers to assist with sandbagging. Please bring your own work gloves. Volunteers should report to the Ridgeway Avenue Department of Transportation facility, between Highway 63 and 4th Street.

1. UNI classes and normal work activities are on schedule for Thursday, June 12.
2. Reporting leave related to Tuesday, June 10 or Wednesday, June 11, 2008:
   UNI staff who volunteered during normal working hours should use accumulated vacation leave, compensatory time, or leave without pay.
   Employees who were absent from work on Tuesday, June 10 or Wednesday, June 11, have the option to use vacation, compensatory time, or leave without pay to cover their absence. Employees also have the option to make up missed time during this work week. P&S staff would generally record the absence time as vacation, unless other arrangements were made with their supervisor.
   For more information, see www.uni.edu/pres/policies/407.shtml.
3. The UNI information Hotline will close at 3 p.m., Wednesday, June 11. Summer orientation calls should be forwarded to (319) 273-2332.
4. Summer Orientation
   New Student Orientation on Thursday and Friday, June 12 and 13, will proceed as planned. Beginning Thursday, June 12, students who are unable to attend orientation due to the weather can contact the Office of Admissions at 1-800-772-2037 or (319) 273-2281 to schedule another orientation session. On-campus accommodations are still available. Arrangements can be made during orientation check-in at Rider Hall. For more information, see www.uni.edu/admissions/orientation
5. Summer camps will take place as scheduled, however venues may change.
6. If KWWL has to evacuate, plans are in place to broadcast from McLeod Center.
7. Sandbagging has ceased for now in Cedar Falls. Volunteers are asked to stay tuned to local media if they are needed again.
8. McLeod Center continues to serve as a Red Cross Evacuation Center. The West Gym continues to house evacuees.
9. Employees directly affected by the disasters should contact FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
10. U.S. Representative Braley's local office will temporarily be located in the West Gym. See the UNI home page for updates.

For Cedar Falls updates, go to http://www.cedarfalls.com

The City of Cedar Falls does NOT need any additional volunteers at this time. More volunteers may be needed later today. Please continue to check the Web site http://www.cedarfalls.com and CFU Local access Channel 15 for further updates. If you are on campus today please conserve energy and water use.