As part of a pilot program, the City of Manchester held a kickoff meeting to discuss steps that will be taken to reduce flooding. The city, in collaboration with the American Flood Coalition, Iowa Flood Center and East Central Intergovernmental Association, held a meeting in the Community Center at the Delaware County Fairgrounds Oct. 13 to talk about how they are actively working to reduce flood risks for residents, businesses and public infrastructure.

Four months after record flooding damaged hundreds of homes in Spencer, Iowa, city leaders met to offer transparency about the events that led up to the flooding. In conjunction with the Iowa Flood Center, city officials shared a full debrief of the days leading up to, and following, the flooding in June. They shared what they learned, and how they hope to prepare for future flooding.

Approximately one hundred and fifty residents of Spencer attended Tuesday night’s flood “debriefing” hosted by the city. This time representatives from the National Weather Service and Iowa Flood Center attended to talk about the unexpected magnitude of the flood.