Cedar Rapids Floods

[SmilesAustin]

hey, B-cad asked me something in another topic but my response got so long that I figured I'd just create a topic in here for it.


Zac,

How are you doing? Are you close to the river??[/b]

haha I knew someone would bring that up :)

I'm doing pretty good actually. My home was not affected by the river, but unfortunately my work was. My office is located about 2 blocks from the river in downtown Cedar Rapids and we are on the bottom floor. That's why I wasn't posting on here very much for a few days last week. On Wednesday when the floods were coming, I was out in downtown CR sandbagging and wading through disgusting poop water in the basement of our office moving things from there up to the top floor. We put everything in the office up on tables, because at that time the flood was only projected to get maybe a foot deep in the office. Unfortunately the floods got about 6 feet deep in the office and ruined everything that we didn't take out of there.

We set up shop at a local private college for the time-being and I got a nice little bonus for helping out with things.

Thanks for asking b-cad. The devastation here is so intense. We still don't have any power in downtown CR and driving past it is just depressing. Seeing all the skyscrapers completely blacked out in the sky is very weird. Here's a few pictures from last week:

[NewmanOwns]

Wow. Glad to see that you're okay.

You know, this is bigger than Katrina, but its not getting the same press and recognition. Maybe its because you guys are doing a great job over there and actually helping yourselves.

[SmilesAustin]

I think there's just less to talk about over here. The National Guard and law enforcement from all over the country have this city on lockdown right now. I've seen Minneapolis squad cars driving around down here helping with everything and Minneapolis is about 6 hours from here. There has only been one looting arrest and it was just some dumb lady stealing alcohol from a bar about a block from my office.

I only lost a few things in my office. A couple books that I can replace. Outside of that I've lost nothing. My fiance has a few family members who lost their homes including her 84 year old great grandmother.

We're all doing a great job out here cleaning up the mess that the flood has made. I've heard FEMA has been doing an outstanding job helping everyone out. I think Katrina probably paved the way for making our natural disaster a lot easier to recover from. And the fact that the river has already dipped below flood level doesn't hurt either.

[b_cadvantag]

Glad you are doing ok Zac!

Very Sorry to All who lost their homes and businesses! Water is so powerful! Damage from water far exceeds that of fire, earthquakes, yada yada.....

We here in Minny did ok, weird really because the Red River ALWAYS floods- but not this year (So far). Iowa and Wisconsin got hammered...Now as the water heads south it will bring more damage.


The pictures are intense Zac! To actually be there, feel it, see it, smell it and have to live with it....That is truly something to bear.

God Bless you and all who are affected by this.

[CowboyzAdam]

Yeah I am glad you are OK as well. I have never been through a flood of that magnitude but I am an Andrew survivor from the Days when I use to live in Miami. So I know what hard times are all about. You see the good in people you thought were lost and you see the bad in people you wished never existed. It is all a very humbling experience to say the least.

I'm just glad I did not lose my Debating buddy in the water.

[electrochemical]

Glad to see that you are good Zac! I know what it feels like as I live next to a river that floods yearly, and we had a big flood that spanned miles and miles. and they needed to build a Z dike to keep the city safe even hough we had a flood gates (which was not enough) which they have been making bigger lately. The army was called in to put sand bags between us and the river which was filled with dead cows, fridges, tires, cars, dogs cats that dies in the rural areas, like small towns, small cities and farms. Many had to rebuild, like whole cities, but we lived in the capitol and got more protection, which was almost not enough as we where on stand by for evac. with out the protection we would be like Fargo but thank god without the fire to boot. If anyone knows it was the Red River and known as the flood of 97, or the flood of the century, im sure someone has heard of it?