The City of Kalona is one of the first communities working with the Iowa Flood Center to predict flood insurance costs through the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Flood Insurance Program.

The Iowa Flood Center has helped create a tool that simulates the financial effect flooding would have on a community through a FEMA-approved simulation tool. This tool will help inform Kalona residents’ need for pre-disaster mitigation. The city recently received a 15% community rating from the FEMA NFIP program, which City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh says helps for flood disaster prevention, “It allows us to a little more easily apply for federal funding in what they call pre-disaster mitigation funds. And these funds are designed to implement structures. It can be for property acquisition, to take properties out of floodplains and so forth, which isn’t something that we’re necessarily interested in at this time. But it does allow us to implement some structures or at least see if we are eligible to receive funding for that.” FEMA funds structures such as culverts, floodgates, and floodwall systems, as well as elevating buildings in floodplain areas.

The city plans to apply for federal mitigation funds in March.