Community Stories

Funding Shortage

Cedar Rapids had a disaster in the billions and received funding in the millions.

Human Toll of a Flooding Disaster

More than 5,000 homes flooded, almost 20,000 residents displaced, 268 residents still living in FEMA trailers… thousands have lost their homes, their jobs, their churches and their neighborhoods.

Disaster Recovery Takes Years

Cedar Rapids is still suffering from the flooding and storms it experienced last May and June.  We still have a long road ahead to recover from the worst natural disaster in Iowa’s history.

Disaster + Recession = Serious Problems

This flooding disaster was so extreme that the financial cost goes beyond the ability of the city and state to deal with the recovery. The current economic recession adds to our struggle.

Helping Ourselves

When many people around the nation are fighting for individual economic relief, Cedar Rapids citizens voluntarily passed a sales tax increase that is expected to bring in millions of dollars a year.

City Still Looks Like a Disaster Area

Many areas of Cedar Rapids still and will continue to look like a disaster because the city has not received the proper funding.

Cedar Rapids Helping Others

Cedar Rapids purchased temporary flood protection measures; however, due to flooding in other areas the city sent its equipment to prevent more devastation in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Volunteer Labor Saves City

Thousands of volunteers from all over the country have spent their spring breaks and will spend their summer in Cedar Rapids gutting houses, cleaning yards and rebuilding homes. 

Community Contacts