VINTON, Iowa (KCRG-TV9)- Dozens of people in Vinton are still trying to find a permanent place to live after a tornado ripped through the city last Sunday.
Members of the Benton County Disaster Coalition met with displaced residents Friday who lost homes to the tornado.
Winds from an EF2 tornado pulled roofs off buildings, topped a cell tower and hurled pieces of debris through walls and cars. On Friday, a coalition of recovery groups invited all those displaced to a meeting to discuss both the opportunities for financial assistance but also to ask “do you have a place to live yet?”
Cheryl Owings, who came to the meeting at the Vinton-Shellsburg High School, considers herself one of the luckier ones.
Yes, she lost her apartment to the tornado. And she didn’t salvage much except a chair and a couple of pieces of furniture.
But she has a new place to live, an efficiency apartment, and many others are still looking.
“I feel really happy about it. But I’m sad for the people who have children but haven’t found a place yet,” Owings said.
Scott Hansen, Benton County Emergency Management director, said up to $5,000 is available through a state program for those who meet income guidelines.
Those guidelines cover families earning up to twice the federal poverty limit in income. The state funding helps pay for items lost to the storm such as food, clothing and furnishings.
Hansen said there is also a local program using donated dollars that could go to anyone with an unmet need without income limitations.
But his greatest concern now is finding new, affordable housing for those in need.
“This was going to be an issue from the get go. We don’t just magically replace 48 apartment units that were destroyed. We knew right away that would be the issue,” he said.
Hansen said local agencies have compiled lists of available rentals and will continue to work with those displaced to locate a new place to live.
But he said there probably isn’t enough affordable rental housing for all families to stay in Vinton and it may be difficult to find something for everyone close by.
By: Dave Franzman KCRG TV9 Updated: Fri 8:20 PM, Jul 22, 2016
Photo: KCRG “Members of the Benton County Disaster Coalition met with displaced residents Friday who lost homes to the tornado.”
