Cedar Rapids Flood Update

The river has been back where it belongs for a couple of weeks or more now. It retreated quickly—but it came up quickly, too!

I live about six miles from downtown Cedar Rapids, where the damage was the greatest. And Pat and I escaped unaffected, for which we are very, very, thankful. Because of this, it would be very easy for us to simply go on with our lives as if nothing had happened. And it would probably be even easier for you to go on as if nothing had happened.

But that's not the case for everyone.

The Chamber of Commerce pointed out that about 800 businesses had been affected, which usually means that their place of business had been flooded by from an inch to ten feet of dirty river water. Many of these are already operating from temporary locations where ever they could find a space. And along with this, there are 9,000 people who lost their jobs, some of them permanently.

There are about a thousand homes which are uninhabitable currently and may eventually be demolished. And each of these homes housed one or more families, all of whom's possessions are lost to the flood waters.

A drive through the hardest hit residential areas is depressing, to say the least. Refuse is piled on either side of the street, like giant snowbanks left by the snowplow. These winrows contain teddy bears, refrigerators, exercise machines, dining room sets, dishes, plaster and lath, tires, electric fans, dehumidifiers, toys, pitchers and pictures, bedding, and clothes.

How did all this stuff get to the curb? Residents, owners, their friends, their relatives, and volunteers came into their former home and place of refuge, waded through the muck, and carried out the once-precious belongings.

For two days, I've helped with this, working on emptying three basements. On such a job, I wear fairly high rubbers (I have always hated wet shoes), a thin white Tyvek coverall to keep some of the dirt of my clothes, and a 3M mask designed to keep mold spores and other bad things out of my lungs.

In the first house, the water and muck was about three inches deep when we started. As work progressed, we removed sandbags from drains and directed water to them, so the general condition was much better when we left.

The downtown business area looks like a war zone. The streets are lined, on both sides, with generators and huge fans, dumpsters, trucks, and an occasional motorhome. All of this, plus the accompanying workers, in an attempt to get the businesses back in business as soon as possible.

About 25 churches were damaged by the flood, with Salem United Methodist and St. Patrick's Catholic churches probably being the most notable casualties. They are across the street from each other and only about two blocks from the river. We have two "refugee" congregations worshiping in our church building now.

The Cedar Rapids Library was damaged and all the adult materials were considered a loss. They feel the children's collection will be OK because it was on the second floor.

It's easy to say this should have been done and that should have been done to reduce the loss of property. However, it should be remembered that the water became ten feet higher than it had ever been before, and nearly that many feet higher than the "experts" predicted.

Iowa City, Coralville, and the University of Iowa are also suffering. Ten buildings at "the U" suffered flood damage, including Hancher Auditorium. The cost to recover use of these public buildings and public properties, including roads and bridges, throughout the state, will be staggering.

In case you haven't heard of it, there was at least one case of looting. A thirty-something lady apparently didn't want the liquor in a flooded bar to go to waste, so she was "rescuing" it bottle-by-bottle. She was caught and prosecuted.

One couple defrauded the authorities and received monetary aid to which they were not entitled. They, too, were caught.

And several people have reported theft of property from their flooded-out garages or houses. What kind of human slim must it be who wades through the river slim to take that which belongs to others?

I've written this to try to give you an idea what it is like here in the flood area. Hopefully, it will encourage you to be even more thankful for the life you are living.

If you feel moved to make a contribution, I've heard that the Red Cross and Salvation Army are doing wonderful jobs. Also, there are numerous worthy and well-run funds set up in the area to receive and administer funds. Many churches also have Iowa Flood funds set up.