OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The governors of Nebraska and Iowa are asking for federal funds to help residents recover from last Friday’s devastating tornadoes.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a state of emergency for Pottawattamie County hours after a deadly tornado struck Minden, Iowa, severely injuring Nicholas Ring, who died a day later. She later added eight other counties to the declaration: Clarke, Crawford, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Ringgold, Shelby, and Union counties.

On Thursday, Reynolds requested “expedited” relief, urging President Biden to declare a federal disaster for the area, which would release funding for affected counties from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said Saturday that President Biden had expressed support.

“The federal government is here to help us every single step of the way and we’ll being having declarations soon. So we’ll make sure that we’re helping everybody,” Pillen said then.

TORNADO RECOVERY

How to help — and find help

Here are ways you can assist those in Nebraska and Iowa who are recovering from tornadoes that hit on Friday, April 26.

Pillen issued Nebraska’s state of emergency proclamation for Douglas, Washington, and Lancaster counties on Sunday.

On Thursday, his office reported that had formally submitted an application to the president requesting “federal assistance for a wide range of emergency relief costs, including debris removal, emergency protective measures and individual assistance,” according to a news release.

“Preliminary cost assessments submitted to FEMA for public infrastructure damage in all counties is $11.5 million. Over $8 million of that is for damage assessed to public infrastructure in Douglas and Washington,” the release states.

Authorities have estimated that nearly 400 homes in Nebraska were impacted by Friday’s tornadoes, including about 160 that were completely destroyed. Pottawattamie County officials have reported that about 300 homes and businesses sustained some sort of damage; 48 homes in Minden were entirely destroyed.

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More than 250 Iowa City community members joined several other gatherings across the state Wednesday, May 1 to rally against a state law that criminalizes “illegal reentry” into Iowa.

The bill, Senate File 2340, passed through the Senate in March and was signed into law in April. It bars anyone who has been previously deported from the United States from entering or attempting to enter the state. It mirrors a Texas law that remains blocked by the courts.

Many people held up signs during the rally in College Green Park, chanting in Spanish and proudly displaying flags from various countries in Central and South America. The demonstrators eventually marched through downtown Iowa City.

Rallies were also held Wednesday night in Davenport, Waterloo and Des Moines.

More: Iowa Senate votes to criminalize ‘illegal reentry’ into state, mirroring halted Texas law

Supporters encouraged by local turnout

Manny Gálvez said he was happy to see Iowa City’s Latino, Black, and white communities come together during the rally.

“I feel like no matter what the governor says every day, that we are criminals, we are drug dealers,” Gálvez said. “She’s lying. She’s using us.”

The demonstrators marched along major downtown streets as police halted traffic, chanting “Un pueblo unido, jamás será vencido,” which translates to “A people united will never be defeated,” and “Somos familias, no somos criminales,” meaning “We are families, we’re not criminals.”

More: Hakes: Driving across U.S. in a 1924 Model T? Two local men are on 100th anniversary team

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Hundreds from Iowa City community rally against ‘illegal reentry’ law

Hundreds of members of the Iowa City community rallied together on Wednesday night against a state law criminalizing “illegal reentry” into the state.

Demonstrators held up signs in English and Spanish, reading “No human is illegal,” “Love one another” and “Mas amor,” or “More love.”

One young child held up a sign that read, “I need my family.”

The march brought demonstrators to the Iowa City City Hall, where they received a proclamation from Mayor Bruce Teague.

Teague said he stands in unity with everyone who participated in the protest and said none of the local community members he has talked to “has the same desires” as those in the statehouse.

“We are working because we want a bright future,” Gálvez said. “Not just for today, but for the future of all the children. And what the governor is doing right now is sending this message (about) who has the right to have a future and who doesn’t.”

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

Iowa State Hires Matt Leach Away from Washington State as Head Coach

Iowa State on Wednesday announced the hiring of Matt Leach, formerly the head coach of Washington State, to the same position.

Leach is the fifth head coach in Cyclones history, replacing Duane Sorenson, who announced his retirement in March after 27 years in charge.

“I am honored to be the next Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Iowa State University,” Leach said in a university statement. “Coach Sorenson has been an absolute pillar of this program and I am thrilled to be named his successor. I want to sincerely wish him well in his retirement and hope to see him on the pool deck. I would like to thank President Wendy Wintersteen, Jamie Pollard and Calli Sanders for allowing me to lead the next generation of Cyclones,” he added. “I am humbled and extremely excited to get to work and help lead, grow, and inspire these student-athletes into the next chapter of success. Go Cyclones!”

Leach spent six seasons in Pullman. His teams produced NCAA qualifiers all five times that the meet was held during his tenure after a decade-long drought. That included a point scorer in 2024 in Emily Lundgren, just the sixth time in program history a Cougar has scored at NCAAs. His most recent team set school records, 21 top-10 times, two Pac-12 medals and scored 498.5 points, the team’s second-highest in the Pac-10/12 era.

“We are thrilled to welcome Matt, Katie, and their children, Eloise and Arlo, back to the Midwest and to our Cyclone family,” senior association director of athletics Dr. Calli Sanders said.  “We believe Matt embodies the perfect blend of characteristics and experiences that we were looking for in our next head coach, bringing Power 5 head coaching experience, a commitment to the whole student-athlete, and boundless energy, to our program. His enthusiasm for joining our community and leading our swimming and diving program was undeniable throughout the entire interview process, and he has a clear vision for the future of the Cyclone Swimming & Diving program.”

Leach spent three seasons as the founding head coach of Indiana State’s women’s team, where he was the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2017-18. He worked for six seasons at the University of Wyoming, including four as the associate head coach. The native of Portland, Ore., was a four-time All-American swimmer at the Indiana University, graduating in 2004. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at LSU, then two seasons as a volunteer assistant in Baton Rouge.