Severe Weather

NASA’s Artemis II mission is nearing launch, and an Iowa State University professor and retired astronaut knows exactly what that moment feels like. Also on this Newsbuzz edition, we break down a busy first week at the Iowa Statehouse as Republican lawmakers roll out an ambitious — and contentious — legislative agenda. We’ll also take a closer look at why Iowa’s controversial school library book ban is back in federal court and what a new wave of billion-dollar natural disasters means for insurance coverage and risk management in Iowa and beyond. And we groove into the weekend with Studio One.

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.

It was the most expensive thunderstorm event in U.S. history. On this episode, three perspectives on the monster storm.

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.

Plus, a long-ranging investigative report was recently on the Davenport building collapse that occurred two years ago.

The National Weather Service was crucial in getting people timely information before a tornado decimated the town of Greenfield. A year later, what do the Trump Administration's cuts to the service mean for the service?