MINDEN, Iowa — Recovery efforts in the small town of Minden continue just one week after a resident was killed and dozens of homes were destroyed.
Among the 302 properties damaged in Pottawattamie County by an EF-3 tornado, Minden's water treatment plant was completely destroyed.
"There's still a little bit of shock one week later," said county employee Craig Carlsen. "Obviously, the devastation was and still is hard to look at."
Thankfully, the city's water power has been receiving water from a regional water system, but an urgent solution was needed to replace the treatment facility.
In preparation for natural disasters, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security has built relationships with private companies and organizations, like the Iowa Rural Water Association, to provide swift response for communities in need.
That work is paying off in Minden, as crews were able to find a temporary solution for water distribution.
“We practice this, we've talked about this, and we designed a trailer to be able to do this. Now we're able to use it," said John Lins with the IRWA.
It’s been an all-hands on deck effort the past few days to build this temporary water treatment system. Des Moines based contractor Baker Group is helping with the pipe work, and the treatment equipment was rented from the Water Surplus company in Illinois.
It could be years before a new water treatment plant in Minden is built, but thanks to the efforts of this team, devastation has been transformed into restoration.