3 minute read
A Model for Flood Recovery, Fighting
Cedar Rapids has been recognized for its expertise in flood control recovery, management, and planning.
Communities that suffer devastating disasters often walk away with hardearned expertise in recovery and resiliency, and can become models for other communities navigating their own disaster planning. As a river city — and survivor of a catastrophic flood — Cedar Rapids has positioned itself as an expert in the field of flood fighting and flood recovery.
RECOGNIZED FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Recently, the American Flood Coalition partnered with Johns Hopkins University to publish a report on the economic impacts of flood resilient infrastructure. The report was published in December 2020, and featured a case study on Cedar Rapids’ pursuit of permanent flood control and our positive economic growth following the 2008 Flood.
The report explored how investments in flood-resilient infrastructure are associated with local economic development, stating:
(American Flood Coalition John Hopkins Study, December 2020) Since 2008, more than $360 million in private capital investment has occurred in the flood-impacted area.
RECOGNIZED FOR SUCCESSFUL ACQUISITION PROGRAM
In 2008, more than ten square miles of the city were inundated with floodwater, impacting more than 5,000 houses. The damage to neighborhoods was heartbreaking, and the City set about securing federal funding for a home buy-out program. What followed was an unprecedented property acquisition program — one of the largest purchases of private property by a U.S. city to date. The program used federal dollars from FEMA and the Community Development Block Grant to purchase homes ravished by the flood. When the program closed in December 2014, approximately $128 million had been invested to acquire and safely demolish flood-damaged properties in the city — both residential and commercial. The program has since become a model for other communities facing disaster recovery.
Cedar Rapids ranked #18 Most Secure Place to Live for Mid-Sized Cities in the U.S.
- Farmers Insurance Group
RECOGNIZED FOR SUSTAINABILITY
In 2019, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) awarded the Cedar Rapids Flood Control System with the Envision Bronze rating for sustainable infrastructure. Cedar Rapids was recognized for how it ranked in five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Natural World, Resource Allocation, and Climate and Risk.
The award recognized the flood control project in the NewBo/ Sinclair District, an area previously classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a brownfield site. The flood control project turned otherwise unusable land into a public asset, complete with stormwater best management practices and recreational amenities such as a 12-foot walking trail. This area is just one example of a system built to incorporate environmental, recreational, and cultural amenities.
- Flood Control System Program Manager Rob Davis.
SHARING OUR EXPERTISE
Recovering from the 2008 Flood has required forethought and strategy in redevelopment, neighborhood planning, economic recovery, interim flood fighting, and infrastructure design. Many city officials in key leadership roles during the 2008 Flood are still with the City, and share their knowledge base with other communities. The Cedar Rapids team has shared their expertise at conferences such as the Iowa Flood Center, the International Conference on Flood Management, the Iowa Groundwater Association, Iowa Recovery Summit, and the Association of State Floodplain Managers. We are proud to help other communities on their own paths to flood resiliency.
