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It’s *** nightmare. I can describe it is *** nightmare. Here’s *** look at 1st Avenue in Cedar Rapids, the main street through downtown City Hall, the county courthouse, and the jail all submerged. It’s *** big shock on everybody here. Streets, churches, restaurants underwater. No one’s driving through downtown. The river even reaching stoplights. At least 438 city blocks are flooded, including 16th Avenue. I can’t believe it. It’s just hard to believe. I, I mean, people could tell me this, but I would have never believed it until I came down today. Karen Beltrameya’s house is under that water. I was very proud of that house though because it’s my only house that I can say it was mine that I owned. At this point, residents are just trying to save what they can. I got pictures of my daughter, ones I didn’t, couldn’t replace. Make sure just in case it got worse or mold started coming up. I didn’t want the pictures ruined. Dave Bennett’s been helping at the shelters. They’re devastated. They’re very upset, but on the flip side of that, what I saw from the people that live in the community, how they’re coming over to support, they’re bringing wheelchairs, they’re bringing clothes, sleeping bags. It’s *** picture hard to comprehend, and now residents wonder what will be left once the water recedes.
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In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 18 years ago, the Cedar River crested at 31.12 feet — 11 feet above the previous record — flooding 10 square miles and displacing more than 18,000 residents.The river reached stoplights, submerged critical public infrastructure and put churches, restaurants and homes underwater. The 2008 natural disaster is considered one of the worst modern-day floods in Iowa’s history.”It’s a nightmare,” said one individual in archival footage from Hearst sister station KCCI. “The only way I could describe it is a nightmare.”On June 13, 2008, eastern Iowa was hit with record-breaking flooding that destroyed buildings, stranded cars and left area residents homeless. But the setup for the flood began almost a year before it hit Cedar Rapids, when heavy rain and snow swept across the area, keeping soil saturated and unable to store more water, according to the National Weather Service. Soil saturation and heavy early June rain events caused extreme runoff, says the NWS, helping prime the area for floods.Floodwaters on June 13 penetrated more than 14% of the city, submerging critical public property, including City Hall and the primary hospital, fire station, library, and police station, reports the Iowa Flood Center and the Cedar Rapids website.”This is a 500-year flood event,” said Steve Cooper in archival footage from sister station KCCI. “It’s just been crazy. We’ve got everything just shut down. The city is shut down. This has never happened before.”Video above: People in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, grapple with record-breaking 2008 floodIn total, according to a feasibility study and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, more than 1,300 city blocks were flooded and 7,846 properties were damaged, including 6,865 residential properties, 754 commercial/industrial properties and 227 public properties. The flood event caused an estimated $2.4 billion in damages.”We lose. Mother Nature beat us. And we tried real hard,” Cooper said.The Iowa Flood Center reported that after the flood, 85 of Iowa’s 99 counties were designated federal disaster areas. Cedar Rapids firefighters performed 423 boat rescues, according to the Cedar Rapids website, and there were zero reported flood-related deaths.”I’m not going to forget this for a long time,” another individual said in archival footage from sister station KCCI.In the years since the 2008 flood, progress has been made in repairing and revitalizing the city. In the downtown area, which was heavily affected by floodwaters, some venues have reopened, including the U.S. Cellular Center arena (now the Alliant Energy PowerHouse), Theatre Cedar Rapids and Paramount Theatre, reports the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office. Across Cedar Rapids, work has been done to preserve and develop the neighborhoods that were rebuilt after the historic flood that changed the city.
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 18 years ago, the Cedar River crested at 31.12 feet — 11 feet above the previous record — flooding 10 square miles and displacing more than 18,000 residents.
The river reached stoplights, submerged critical public infrastructure and put churches, restaurants and homes underwater. The 2008 natural disaster is considered one of the worst modern-day floods in Iowa’s history.
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“It’s a nightmare,” said one individual in archival footage from Hearst sister station KCCI. “The only way I could describe it is a nightmare.”
On June 13, 2008, eastern Iowa was hit with record-breaking flooding that destroyed buildings, stranded cars and left area residents homeless. But the setup for the flood began almost a year before it hit Cedar Rapids, when heavy rain and snow swept across the area, keeping soil saturated and unable to store more water, according to the National Weather Service. Soil saturation and heavy early June rain events caused extreme runoff, says the NWS, helping prime the area for floods.
Floodwaters on June 13 penetrated more than 14% of the city, submerging critical public property, including City Hall and the primary hospital, fire station, library, and police station, reports the Iowa Flood Center and the Cedar Rapids website.
“This is a 500-year flood event,” said Steve Cooper in archival footage from sister station KCCI. “It’s just been crazy. We’ve got everything just shut down. The city is shut down. This has never happened before.”
Video above: People in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, grapple with record-breaking 2008 flood
In total, according to a feasibility study and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, more than 1,300 city blocks were flooded and 7,846 properties were damaged, including 6,865 residential properties, 754 commercial/industrial properties and 227 public properties. The flood event caused an estimated $2.4 billion in damages.
“We lose. Mother Nature beat us. And we tried real hard,” Cooper said.
The Iowa Flood Center reported that after the flood, 85 of Iowa’s 99 counties were designated federal disaster areas. Cedar Rapids firefighters performed 423 boat rescues, according to the Cedar Rapids website, and there were zero reported flood-related deaths.
“I’m not going to forget this for a long time,” another individual said in archival footage from sister station KCCI.
In the years since the 2008 flood, progress has been made in repairing and revitalizing the city. In the downtown area, which was heavily affected by floodwaters, some venues have reopened, including the U.S. Cellular Center arena (now the Alliant Energy PowerHouse), Theatre Cedar Rapids and Paramount Theatre, reports the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office. Across Cedar Rapids, work has been done to preserve and develop the neighborhoods that were rebuilt after the historic flood that changed the city.
