Court ruling reflects Branstad’s failure after ’93 flood, lawmaker says

Rob Hogg

A ruling published Friday by the Iowa Supreme Court is further evidence that former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad didn’t do enough during his tenure to protect Iowans from flooding, said Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids.

Hogg has been an outspoken critic of the Branstad administration’s response to the historic floods of 1993 and has said Branstad’s negligence in the wake of the flooding contributed to the 2008 floods that so deeply impacted eastern Iowa, and especially Cedar Rapids.

On Friday the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that residents of Denver, Iowa, could pursue a lawsuit against the state for creating a highway bridge that obstructed a flood plain and allegedly led to several dozen homes and businesses being flooded.

“This highway was designed and built under the Branstad administration, which is further evidence that Terry Branstad just does not understand how to protect Iowans from future flood damage,” Hogg said. “He failed the residents and businesses of Denver, just like the failed the residents and businesses of the rest of the state by failing to implement the recommendations of his own flood recovery task force following the flood of 1993.

“Terry Branstad’s failure to prevent future flood damage, as recommended by his task force and as required by state law, has cost Iowans their homes and their businesses, and continues to cost Iowa taxpayers millions.”

The 1994 Iowa Flood Disaster Report prepared by Brigadier General Harold Thompson for the Iowa Flood Recovery Coordination Team outlined five specific recommendations in the wake of the 1993 on which Branstad, who was serving as governor at the time, took no action, according to Hogg.

Those five recommendations were:

1. Reducing vulnerability to future floods is as important was improving disaster relief capabilities and programs.
2. Communities need adequate state assistance in mitigating future flood damage.
3. Better flood technology and information including electronic river monitoring, detailed river basin modeling and extensive mapping.
4. Incorporate watershed management including wetland restoration and unchannelized streams which can play a large role in reducing flood damage downstream.
5. “The state of Iowa should review the floodplain management responsibility [and] create a viable, effective program with adequate resources.”

On the first four instances, Branstad took no action, according to Hogg, but on the final item, “worse than no action, the report says that Terry Branstad allowed the state’s program to ‘erode’ and he took no action to restore the program.”

“Branstad abdicated flood recovery in 1993 to President Bill Clinton and he has no plan for flood prevention now,” Hogg said. “That is simply unacceptable and Iowans need to know it.”

Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht dismissed similiar allegations earlier this week while speaking with reporter Adam B Sullivan of The Daily Iowan.

“As Chet Culver and his cronies desperately try to change the subject from his failed jobs programs and decades-high unemployment, Iowans understand that we need a leader with the proven ability to create jobs and a real plan to do it,” Albrecht said.

To Mason City reporter John Skipper, Albrecht condemned “politicizing the flood” as “especially sad and pathetic.”

The Branstad campaign, to date, has made no attempt to directly address the flood prevention neglect charges that have been leveled by Hogg and two other Democratic legislators, state Sens. Bob Dvorsky of Coralville and Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City. Arguably, the corridor area, which includes Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Iowa City, was the most adversely affected during the 2008 floods.

Branstad’s campaign has, however, intensely scrutinized and criticized programs, such as I-JOBS, that were instituted in the wake of the 2008 floods. According to Gov. Chet Culver and community leaders who have directly benefited from the infrastructure and recovery projects funded by I-JOBS, the program has accomplished what otherwise would not have been possible. Branstad believes the program has saddled future Iowans with more than $875 million in debt and hasn’t created any new jobs.