(Atlantic) The Southwest Iowa Planning Council recently created a new staff position to focus on flood recovery efforts. Some parts of southwest Iowa experienced some heavy flooding one year ago and (SWIPCO) is helping communities rebuild.
According to the press release; thanks to a grant from the US Economic Development Administration, SWIPCO, hired Leslie Wright, an Alabama native with a background in public administration and community engagement to take on this additional planning and grant writing work.
“As we were working through the challenges of setting up our staff to work from home because of COVID-19, I was also focused on the logistics of getting our new hire from Alabama to Iowa,” said Community Development Director Alexis Fleener.
“I was so excited when I was offered the Community Development Specialist position with SWIPCO and immediately began planning how to move from Alabama to Iowa,” said Wright. “There were several concerns about how a move this large would play out during a national quarantine due to CoVid-19, but things seemed to work out flawlessly. My parents, who helped me move, especially enjoyed the lack of heavy traffic on the thirteen-hour trip.”
“ We were nervous about finding housing because of social distancing requirements, but once we were in Atlantic it seemed people were willing to bend over backward to help us out and make sure that we were able to find what we needed,” Wright said. “I immediately felt welcomed and at home, which made leaving the South for the Midwest less scary. From what I’ve experienced so far from Atlantic and its residents, I believe I am going to thoroughly enjoy my time here and will quickly settle into life in Iowa!”
Now residing in Atlantic, Ms. Wright will self-isolate for two weeks per the Iowa Department of Public Health recommendations before actually setting foot at the SWIPCO offices. In the meantime, her work is not that much different from other staff who are working from home as Zoom meetings and conference calls have become the new normal.
