Hospital incurred $15 million in storm damage

Catherine Hillestad, CEO of Adair County Health System, gave a detailed outlook to the ongoing repairs to Adair County Memorial Hospital during a community meeting at Nodaway Valley High School Sunday night.

The ACHS leader was one of several community people to give updates during the disaster relief meeting designed to be a helpful tool for those wanting more information as the area rebuilds from the May 21 tornado.

“We obviously still have a standing hospital in town, but due to extensive roof damage and extensive water damage, and damage altogether from debris flying in, we’re unable to use it,” Hillestad said.

Hillestad detailed that the walk-in clinic, urgent care and ambulance service are operating at the elementary school in Greenfield. ACHS’s Stuart Clinic was unaffected and fully operational.

Insurance is making it possible for hospital staff to be paid throughout this time.

Estimated cost of the hospital’s damage is $15 million.

“It might be hard to see on the outside because we do still have a hospital standing, but we have extensive damage on the inside,” Hillestad said. “Our roof was totally demolished in the tornado as well.”

While school and hospital officials acknowledge there may be some “wiggle room,” it is the hospital’s goal to move out of the school and back into the hospital, to offer certain services there, by Aug. 1.

“We’re very grateful to Nodaway Valley, for them to allow us to use the building,” Hillestad said. “They’ve been a savior for us in getting our patients care and the access that they need.”

The overall timeline for repairing the hospital will go into the fall, Hillestad said.

“I want to thank everyone in the community for supporting the hospital at this time. There’s a lot of unknowns. Construction dates can always change too,” Hillestad said. “I and our team appreciate the support you all have given us.”

A few other highlights from the meeting include the following:

• Adair and Guthrie County EMA coordinator Jeremy Cooper said the total number of homes impacted has climbed to over 325. Contractors such as GoServe Global are available to help with home demolition. Those demolishing their homes should contact all services first. Vegetative debris is still being taken to the fairgrounds with demolition debris to the transfer station. There might be another fair in the future like the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) that was previously held at the elementary school. The deadline for people to get applications to FEMA is July 24. The curfew will likely continue for awhile longer.

• Greenfield Chamber Main Street and Development Director Stacie Eshelman talked about a Community Recovery Team that is working behind the scenes to anticipate and plan for various aspects of moving forward as a community, both short and long term. She said there are many moving parts and the group is trying to think of them. One focus is temporary housing.

• The Greater Greenfield Community Foundation’s Jennifer Garside talked about the generosity shown toward the community through a fund set up for disaster relief. Surveys are available for people to take to help the group better anticipate and understand upcoming needs. Applications are also available and being vetted.

• Greenfield Municipal Utilities General Manager Scott Tonderum said there are no water restrictions in town, though GMU always encourages conservation. In regards to electricity, he stressed doing everything as safety as possible as people demo properties and rebuild. Streetlights are back up in many locations around town and are meant to enhance safety.

• Croghan spoke on behalf of the school district and said administrators are working to locate displaced students so they can properly provide transportation to all students this fall. He stressed the word “community” in the school district name and said that should be a key focus for everyone morning forward.

• Sonya Sellmeyer of the Iowa Insurance Division shared information about how to deal with insurance companies that are struggling to get back to clients in a timely fashion and other tips in navigating the insurance world.

A few highlights from the question and answer session include the following:

• There are permits available for those impacted by the tornado who want to live in a camper in town and they are available at Greenfield City Hall. City Hall staff can also give general guidance to property owners looking to rebuild.

• All local entities have applied for financial assistance following the tornado. Southern Iowa Council of Governments is also looking into other funding sources that can help the community build back.

• Valuations will change when property owners rebuild. Officials encouraged property owners to stay on top of that by talking with the county assessor’s office.

• Fencing and fill dirt required of those wanting to rebuild on their property in town are the property owner’s financial responsibility, however there might be assistance available for that through non-profits working in town or other avenues.