WAVERLY - A newly formed group wants to touch base with Bremer County residents still dealing with the effects of recent flooding.

The Bremer County Recovery Coalition is coordinating efforts to provide resources to county residents, and a public forum Thursday is designed as an update on flood-related issues and ongoing relief efforts.

The event will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Waverly Civic Center. Topics will include the role of the recovery coalition, property buyouts and trailers. A survey is also planned to assess long-term recovery needs in the Waverly area.

The assessment survey will help the Bremer County Recovery Coalition determine how to distribute resources, according to members. Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, a national group dubbed the Green Shirts, will conduct the assessments between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3.

"That will really give us a sense for what is left to do," said Dan Kittle, chairman of the coalition.

During and after the flood, congregations informally collaborated with faith-based and nonprofit organizations to coordinate disaster response efforts. Following the advice of experts, the volunteers formally established Bremer County Recovery Coalition. In August, the coalition, which has about 50 members from across the county, adopted bylaws with the support of various city councils.

Other Iowa counties, such as Butler and Buchanan, also have coalitions.

Leaders are certain Bremer County residents affected by the flood still have needs, even if much of the debris is gone. Those may be physical, financial or mental, said Kaye Englin, co-chairwoman of the coalition.

"We've just kind of moved on with our regular lives, where these people are kind of stuck at the day of the flood in a lot of ways and need other people to help," she said.

The goal, Englin added, is to restore people to something closer to their pre-flood situation.

The Green Shirts, considered experts in their field, will help determine residents' needs. They also will estimate the cost of recovery and provide a priority list for local case managers. Information will be turned over to Lutheran Services in Iowa, and the recovery coalition will use the data to determine a strategy and to acquire and distribute resources, Kittle said.

The coalition is poised to make sure recovery happens efficiently, member Kip Ladage said. Ladage also serves as coordinator of Bremer County Emergency Management.

"Long-term recovery takes time, and it's got to be done in the right order to be effective," Ladage said.

Coalition members anticipate the recovery group will act as a long-term organization able to assist in future disasters, Ladage added.

Other members of the recovery coalition's executive board are Sarah Meyer-Reyerson, director of the Waverly Public Library; Jill Kwikkel, retail banking manager at First National Bank; Jim Lee, pastor of Grace Baptist Church; and Renee Sedlacek, service learning coordinator at Wartburg College.

Contact Karen Heinselman

at (319) 291-1581 or

karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.