Flood victims, officials discuss recovery in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — Roughly 100 flood-impacted residents and business gathered at the Marriott here Wednesday night to hear from officials from several agencies involved in the city’s flood recovery efforts.

The event, which was billed as a forum, was set up a bit like a job fair. Presenters provided remarks in a large crowd setting and then sat down at tables in the lobby to answer specific, one-on-one questions from attendees.

General overviews of what has been offered and/or accomplished were provided by representatives from the City of Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Iowa Department of Economic Development, Iowa Small Business Development Centers, Iowa Finance Authority, Jumpstart Housing, Linn Area Long-Term Recovery Coalition and the Rebuild Iowa Office.

Greg Eyerly, flood director for the City of Cedar Rapids, openly praised residents of the city for their patience and hard work during the 15-months since the flood. He also cautioned that much more work remained to be done.

“Midwestern people are truly unique,” Eyerly said after noting that he has had opportunity to live in many other regions in the U.S. and abroad. “They have a value system you don’t see in any other parts of the country. … We will be a stronger community. We have to have faith. We have to have faith in each other and we have to work together.

“We should be proud of our accomplishments — but should not be satisfied with where we are today.”

Eyerly noted:

• The city continues to “muck and gut” 280 residential and 15 commercial properties that have not been touched since the June 2008 floods. The goal is to complete this project by the end of October.
• Local, state and federal agencies are still conducting walking tours of damage in major public facilities, often with additional information being discovered during the tours. These should be physically completed by Sept. 8, and hopefully will be followed by recovery funds for those facilities by the end of October.
• The numerous databases in place since the flood — volunteers, impacted residents, flooded business owners, property specifics, etc. — are in the process of being merged into one.
• 71 properties considered imminent threat are in line for acquisition and demolition by the city.
• The city has roughly 1,300 total properties that need to be demolished, and the current goal is to have all of those done by this time next year.
• An additional $516 million in Community Development Block Grants is available to Iowa from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Although applications will be submitted for those funds, any disbursements will likely not be seen until December due to the federal review process.
• Ten vertical wells have been raised for the city’s water supply, providing an additional 10 million gallons.

Cedar Rapids residents and business owners with recovery or other flood-related questions should contact the Rebuild Iowa Office. Those experiencing stress can also contact the Iowa Concern Hotline, 1-800-447-1985.