flooding

Diogenes Ayala was named Iowa's Emergency Manager of the Year in 2022 for his response to a Madison County tornado that left six residents dead. In December 2024, Ayala was appointed to serve on the National Advisory Council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but a few weeks later the entire council was dismissed by the Department of Homeland Security. Ayala discusses this brief appointment and what the future holds for FEMA. Then, Iowa Flood Center Director Larry Weber joins to discuss further investments in flood forecasting.

Nearly 200 science faculty from 26 colleges and universities across Iowa endorsed the 15th annual Iowa Climate Statement, which warns of higher homeowner insurance costs due to a warming atmosphere.

Across much of the Midwest, the atmosphere is becoming warmer and retaining more water, leading to heavier downpours. A two-crop system called relay intercropping could help farmers buffer weather whiplash and boost profits.

A look at this week's headlines in Iowa, including a conversation with a Bosnian American for World Refugee Day.

One year ago, more than a dozen Iowa counties ended up under a Presidential Disaster Declaration after heavy rains pushed raging rivers out of their banks. In two of the hardest-hit areas in northwest Iowa, people reflect on the pain and progress of the past 12 months.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is awarding nearly $2.7 million in matching grants to 14 projects this year. One of the sites is Legacy Woods Nature Sanctuary, a new development in West Des Moines.

More than 950 students, teachers and staff in the Rock Valley Community School District were impacted when historic flooding swept across northwest Iowa in June 2024. Today, they remain united after months of recovery efforts.

A federal hiring freeze and layoffs at the National Weather Service are impacting the accuracy of forecasts and long-range outlooks.

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ bill making changes to Iowa’s disaster relief assistance programs is on its way to the Iowa Senate floor after approval Thursday by the chamber’s Ways and Means Committee.

Lee Rood, Des Moines Register watchdog columnist, shares her reporting on the Polk County administrator on administrative leave, the latest in a long period of tensions at the county.