Two months since the flood...

Today I drove through a few neighborhoods near I-380 in downtown Cedar Rapids. The devastation is still overwhelming. I plan to post photos as soon as I upload them from the camera. In the meantime, consider the costs of what the city of Cedar Rapids has spent thus far on flood recovery, posted at my financial blog, "Getting Your Financial House in Order."

Flood ground zero

Yesterday I reported for volunteer work with Serve the City to distribute the city's newsletter for flood victims downtown. About 50 of us showed up and after some instruction and a word of prayer, we divided into five groups to tackle five areas in the flood zone. I paired up with another volunteer and she drove to our section, dubbed "Area C," encompassing the neighborhood west of I-380 to 4th St. S.W. and south from 10th Ave. S.W. to 15th Ave. S.W.

While she walked one side of each street, I walked the other, knocking on doors. At first, I anticipated handing the newsletter to the homeowners directly, but it soon became obvious that a majority of these homes were uninhabited because they were uninhabitable--rooms gutted to avoid mold, glass missing in windows, screen doors broken or swollen from the water. I tucked most of the newsletters in the doors or in small boxes mounted on the houses for paper delivery in case the owners came back. On each home, we could see the flood high water mark, some 4' high, others as high as 6', even this far from the river. Wooden porches sagged or appeared wavy from the flood two weeks ago which covered more than nine square miles and devastated more than a thousand city blocks.

In spite of the absence of a majority of residents, signs of life sat silent on these porches: a coffee can filled with cigarette butts, a vacuum cleaner coated in silt, a muddy shoe without a mate, a dirty snow shovel used in mucking out a basement, a set of silt-covered patio chairs and a couple of stools, even plants beginning to rebloom in preflood gardens edged by rocks still anchored in place, a broken garden statue carefully reassembled on a step.

I wanted to take pictures--oh, how I wanted to take pictures!--but my conscience wouldn't let me. These people have suffered so much, including invasion by "Strike Teams" and now drive-by gawkers, something to which they have expressed violent public objection and outrage. I also recognized that I was there to help them, not to benefit my freelance work. I felt that as soon as I whipped out my cell phone camera someone would come around the corner or peer out a window. So out of respect to the victims, I took it all in and tried to make mental notes of what I observed.

Around the corner on the next block, I met three men sitting on a porch taking a break from hauling out debris from the home. Their eyes appeared weary; masks dangled around necks moist with sweat, drinks dangled in their hands with nails darkened by sludge. In spite of the devastation around them, they smiled when I handed them copies of the newsletter. Iowans, after all, are polite.

At the next house, a man named Tom sat in the shade of his porch on a lawn chair. His shirt read "Property of Gatorade." He shared how the water advanced on Thursday, June 12th, the day of the big thuderstorm; how it filled the street in front of the house that morning and to his family's surprise, rose quickly by that afternoon and reached the front door four feet above the ground. They later learned the water rose two more feet inside the first floor. He wiped his forehead with the memory of it all. I asked about the block of concrete steps in front, offset and sitting askew from the front porch by at least three feet. He smiled and shook his head. "Yep, can you believe it? The water lifted and moved our front steps--that block of concrete's gotta weigh at least a ton. Some fellows from the National Guard stopped by one day and asked if they could help and we said, 'Sure, can you move our steps back?' and all these young guys, you know, all macho, said, 'You bet!'--but they couldn't budge it." He smiled at our reaction.

On the last block we ran into other volunteers wearing bright orange "Corridor Recovery" T-shirts. They were employees of Aegon, a major financial employer here who encouraged their people to take time off work to help in the flood recovery effort. One girl called to another that the lady down the street had just returned home from chemotheraphy and should take priority; I asked if the woman was a flood victim in one of these homes and they answered, "Yes." Four of them headed down the street to her house to offer help and continue cleaning her home. After removing sludge in basements, mold becomes the next concern. I wondered if the woman had no family who could take her in.

A large waste retrieval truck rumbled loudly down the street and parked in front of a house nearby. A large claw swung out over the curb and scooped up a debris pile near where we stood. About 50% of the detritus has been removed while the hazardous waste such as cans of paint, cleaners, etc. still sit in the hot sun awaiting pick up.

Block after block, shards of glass lay scattered on sidewalks shifted by flood water. I stepped over broken cell phone components, stray VHS and cassette cartridges, CD disks, wheels broken from cabinets or tool boxes. A small toy resembling a Beanie Baby lay on its side, brown sludge disguising its pink fur--possibly Squealer the Pig. In front of another house, I nearly stumbled at the sight of a pair of dice lying directly in front of the walk--one red, one white, bearing the numbers 6 and 3. An unlucky roll? At another location, an Awana award ribbon lay where it rested after the flood, smeared with mud. In the dirt-smudged window of another home, small angel statues alternated with sports trophies, sitting together on the window sill below the flood line. Bits of people's lives, representations of hopes, dreams, accomplishments and activities, from children to adult...now just memories, lost items no longer deemed as important as their homes or putting their lives back together.

Sections of foundations had washed away from some of the homes, circled by caution tape. One in particular allowed a clear view of pipes under the first floor in the basement. How a flood could knock out portions of foundation walls like this shocked me. Some of these homes appeared to have cinder-block foundations, which probably allowed for this kind of damage.

Some houses bore more of the overpowering acrid smell of water-soaked rotting wood, mold, and bacterial growth in the sludge. I wondered then if I should have brought a mask with me due to spores or other dangerous particulates in the air. After all, I'd urged so many people who came to the Red Cross pick-up last week that they should wear masks and change them every three hours, and here I was sans mask. I guess I thought being outside negated the need for a mask.

Many of these displaced residents are still living in local shelters. As of yesterday, FEMA trailers started to arrive with more on the way. Officials have requested 500 trailers but there are an estimated 26,000 residents displaced by the flood. We've got a lot of work ahead of us as a community.

Animals of the flood

People's pets--the smallest victims of the Cedar Rapids flood--found themselves rescued and temporarily housed in the Kirkwood Community College Equestrian Center until their owners can reunite with them or while families who lost their homes in the flood can make new living arrangements. This is a view inside the shelter. The guy in the yellow T-shirt is Quinn, one of the volunteers with whom I had the privilege of working with today.

I cleaned out stalls and gave the dogs clean food and water. Talk about noisy! These poor animals, under such stress when they just want to be with their families. Here is one of the dogs I took outside for a walk--or rather, he walked me--a feisty little terrier named Spot. We had fun. :o) Here he is, after a good workout and a chance to dig into his dinner: His paperwork notes that his owner's name is Angie and lists an address, which means they've been reunited. I would guess his owner is trying to find a new place to live so, in the meantime, Spot will extend his stay at the center.

Working in teams of 3 or 4, we made quick progress. The rescue operation is caring for about 600 animals now after a high of a thousand. Kevin, a handsome young hunk from Chicago, and Leslie, a trained animal rescue worker from Connecticut, both came to Iowa to help during the flood aftermath. What lovely people! Here's Leslie and I:

The New York Times wrote a very nice piece about the rescue operation and care of these animals, including how it compares to Katrina.

I also delivered meals today with Horizon's "Meals on Wheels" program. Tomorrow morning I report to Prairie High School to travel by van into the downtown area to distribute flood recovery newsletters to the affected homeowners. Every little bit helps.

Link to flood photos

I volunteered my time this past week with the American Red Cross, Mission of Hope and Meals On Wheels assisting flood victims and the needy. It was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.Photo by K.S. Gollnick, taken at Sam's Club, Blairs Ferry Rd., Cedar Rapids (June 24, 2008).

Then I decided to gather my flood photos online, at least to share the shocking scenes of high water and post-flood damage with friends and family who do not live here. (I hope to add shots of people, the victims and volunteers, soon.)

Okay, so then I spent waaaay too much time putting this together. I posted over 100 photos of Cedar Rapids as well as the University of Iowa buildings where I invested the past two years of my life completing degrees in journalism and English. So please browse my flood site and let me know what you think by posting a comment here at my blog.

Also, flood-related inspirational quotes appear on my home page. Pray for the thousands of families who have been displaced and for the organizers and volunteers who are working on the front lines.

Jay Leno jokes for Iowa

Jay Leno announced he will contribute all proceeds from his Wednesday and Friday night shows this week in Las Vegas to the flood recovery effort here in Iowa.

Dan Baldwin, president and CEO of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, estimated the flood caused about $25 million in infrastructure damage for about three dozen nonprofit organizations that were in the flood zone. Last night's show brought in about $100,000. Thanks so much, Jay!

"Why the massive flood took the city by surprise"

National Weather Service meteorologist Donna Dubberke says the final answer will be the same as the answer they gave on Monday:

"It is a function of too much rain in the wrong spot again and again," Dubberke said.

Click here to read the full article.

President Bush statement on Midwest floods

President Bush commented officially on the Midwest flooding, published this morning in the local paper, the Iowa Press-Citizen.

President Bush to view flood damage

WASHINGTON—President Bush pledged housing help and other federal aid to the Midwest victims and said he would inspect flood damage in a trip to Iowa on Thursday.

Helping journalists hurt by flood

Editor & Publisher announced today the creation of the Iowa Journalists Flood Fund for local news reporters and staff who lost their homes in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City floods.

Iowa flood statistics

Deaths from flooding: 5
Evacuees: Roughly 36,000 Iowans in 11 counties, including 25,000 in Cedar Rapids.
Counties declared federal disaster areas: 24. A total of 83 counties are covered by a disaster declaration by Gov. Chet Culver.
Iowa National Guard soldiers deployed: 2,500
Sandbags: 4.8 million
Gallons of drinking water distributed: 180,930
Acres of soybeans lost: 2 million
Acres of corn lost: 1.3 million
Tillable acres of farmland under water: 16 percent of the state's 25 million acres.
Buildings flooded at the University of Iowa campus: 16

Sources: Associated Press and local news outlets.

Distaster in Iowa

By Friday night, the Cedar River hit an all-time high flood stage of nearly 33 feet above normal, breaking the old record set in 1929 by 11 feet. This flooded over 400 blocks and filled beloved businesses and buildings, including the historic Paramount Theater and the downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library where I've spent much time in browsing and research.

The water has receded remarkably in the downtown area and bridges once submerged have emerged as of this morning, but Iowa City is bracing itself for unprecedented flooding from the Iowa River between now and Tuesday. I just graduated from the University of Iowa (May 17th), so it is surreal to learn that the two buildings where I spent so much time these past two years are under threat. Video broadcasts last night showed efforts to sandbag the area and I saw the student parking lot where I parked every day is now submerged under six feet of water. This means the English & Philosophy building (EPB) is probably a total loss. It is next to the river and one floor was built below ground--I suspect the second floor is also affected.

Further up from the parking area is the Adler Journalism Building (AJB), which was completed in 2006--a beautiful facility where I spent much time completing my studies in journalism. The first floor offers a luxurious student lounge with a bank of television screens tuned to news channels around the world, and the classrooms were state-of-the-art. The offices and work space for the Daily Iowan, the award-winning student publication of the School of Journalism, also fills much of the first floor. They moved operations last week uphill to the Iowa City Gazette. Students moved as many of the books and special collections from the Main Library adjacent to the AJB building, so I hope it will not be affected but there's no way to know for sure. The freeway was closed Friday night so I cannot get to campus to help. This is very difficult for everyone connected to Iowa City and the University of Iowa.

Also, for those not familiar with the area, Cedar Rapids is just a mile or so from my home and the downtown area is about seven miles from here. The City of Marion is pumping water to Cedar Rapids to help residents with their urgent need, and we are under water restriction. FEMA arrived last week as did the American Red Cross, working with officials to assess and set up a claims process and get assistance to residents in need. As the water began to recede last night, the air became pungent with the aroma of sewage and dead fish. I think we are still in shock over the magnitude of this event which technically is not over yet. So many roads and freeways are closed that it is extremely difficult for anyone needing to get in or out of eastern Iowa.

To view photos taken of the area by me and my husband Russ, visit the flood page at my Web site.

Flood hero

My hero and close friend, Laurie Haldeman, saved a 95-year-old man by calling for help when she discovered him trapped by flood waters on the second floor of his home in the Edgewood area of Cedar Rapids yesterday. He had refused to leave during the mandatory evacuation order issued Tuesday. She told me she couldn't sleep Wednesday night and went to check on him Thursday morning when she discovered water filling the first floor of his home. The water, rising fast, required rescuers to arrive with a boat to remove the man with his miniature poodle. What onlookers did not know is that Laurie suffers from severe disc/nerve damage in her middle back which causes her unspeakable pain, yet she cared enough about another human being to get him help during this catastrophic flood occuring in Iowa.

Iowa Flood '08

"April showers bring
May tornados
bringing
June flooding..."

Pictures to come soon. Pictures posted here. Today my sons and I ventured out after 3 straight days of flooding in Cedar Rapids, to stock up on water, milk, bread and other essentials. While we shopped, yet another major thunderstorm erupted overhead and we drove home in axle-deep water. Fortunately, our home in Marion is on high ground (thank God!). But the water keeps coming--downtown Cedar Rapids is flooded several blocks away from the Cedar River, and Iowa City (and my beloved University of Iowa campus) is flooded along with Coralville. Roads and bridges are closed, college classes cancelled, businesses closed, postal service suspended, homes ruined, and the storms keep coming. We didn't live here in Iowa during the 1993 flood that caused 1/3 of the state of Iowa to be declared a federal disaster area, but officials say that THIS flood has broken all records including 1929 and '93. And unbelievably, the water hasn't yet peaked, and won't until next Tuesday. Calgon, take me away! No, on second thought, I'll huddle in front of my laptop with my cell phone.