Tornado & Flooding Response
The University of Northern Iowa is working with the Red Cross Hawkeye Chapter and the local county emergency management offices to provide assistance to those affected by the May 25 tornado and by recent flooding. Cedar Falls residents can receive updates on flooding from the City of Cedar Falls website.
Disaster Assistance:
Homeowners, renters, businesses and private non-profit organizations
affected by the severe storms and flooding may apply for FEMA
disaster assistance at 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362). Persons
who are speech or hearing impaired may use the TTY at 1-800-462-7585.
How to Help/Get Help:
Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley: Black Hawk County Disaster Recovery Volunteer Hotline
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
To volunteer to help with flood recovery efforts OR to request the help of volunteers to clean flood-damaged property, call (319) 429 0356.
People requesting help will need to provide current contact information and information on specific needs.
Volunteers must be 18 years old or between the ages of 16 and 18 and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Volunteers must wear proper footwear. Safety equipment, including masks, will be provided. Volunteers should be up-to-date with their tetanus vaccinations.
The Black Hawk County Disaster Recover Coalition is a group of over 30 human service agencies working to coordinate assistance to make it easier for individuals to seek assistance and to enhance communication between all agencies during the process.
Special thanks to U.S. Cellular for donating phone service.
- Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
- For more information about volunteering and specific needs, see www.hawkeyechapter.org/
Citizens wishing to donate goods or services to those impacted by tornadoes may contact hotline
Even though no donations are being requested at this time to help those affected by the May 25 tornadoes, the Iowa Concern Hotline is now collecting information from citizens wishing to help. Citizens looking to have items included on the listing of donated goods should contact the hotline at 800-447-1985. The information collected by the Iowa Concern Hotline will be referenced as needs are identified within the affected areas.
When an individual contacts the Iowa Concern Hotline, they will be asked to provide information regarding the donated goods or services to include the location and type of service or donation, and a point of contact. This information will then be compiled into a database. Once a specific need is identified, the database will be used to match a resource to the need and the associated point of contact will be notified and instructed on the best method to deliver the resource.
Please note that the Iowa Concern Hotline is only gathering information about resources people are seeking to donate. Do not self deploy any donated resources to the impacted areas. Self deploying resources into the affected areas only places additional stress onto those impacted and responding to the storm damages. The State of Iowa Emergency Operations Center is coordinating resources with the local on scene incident commanders.
UNI faculty, staff or students wishing to volunteer
UNI students, faculty or staff who wish to volunteer can call the Iowa Concern State Hot line at (1-800-447-1985) to schedule a group or individual request to assist in the relief effort. Iowa Concern staff schedule volunteers at the appropriate time and location. All requests for volunteers are being administered through Iowa Concern.
UNI staff who wish to volunteer during normal working hours should use accumulated vacation leave, compensatory time, or code the time as off duty.
Assistance for UNI students affected by the tornado or flooding
The following message was sent to current and prospective students who live in the areas affected by the tornado. Please help us get this message to current and incoming students.
The UNI Dean of Students Office is contacting you as we understand that you or your parents may reside in one of the communities that were reported to be directly impacted by the tornado that hit the area on Sunday, May 25. We are concerned for all those affected by these events and, in particular, are writing to offer our support to you and other UNI students who may have been affected by this storm.
If you (or other students you know) are in need of assistance, particularly as it relates to your study at UNI, feel free to contact the Dean of Students Office via email at: DeanOfStudents@uni.edu or by phone at (319) 273-2332.
Assistance for UNI faculty and staff affected by the tornado or flooding
- UNI staff in need of time off for non-medical purposes or volunteering to assist during normal working hours should use accumulated vacation leave compensatory time, or code the time as off duty.
- Supervisors are asked to be as flexible as possible to accommodate affected faculty, staff and students.
- Faculty or staff eligible for insurance benefits may use the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to aid the coping and healing process. For details, see http://www.vpaf.uni.edu/hrs/eap/index.shtml
UNI Foundation Scholarship
The UNI Foundation has set up a special scholarship fund for students impacted by the disasters.
For details, see http://www.uni-foundation.org/
UNI Diploma Replacement Offer
The University of Northern Iowa and the UNI Alumni Association is pleased to offer replacement diplomas to those graduates who lost their diplomas because of the recent tornadoes.
Download diploma replacement request form