Governor cites Cedar Rapids as face of flood recovery in Condition of State address

DES MOINES - A Cedar Rapids woman cited by Gov. Chet Culver as the face of flood recovery could just as easily been the face of the resiliency he talked about.

In his Condition of the State speech Tuesday, Culver declared the condition of the state to be resilient “because the people of Iowa are resilient.”

As an example of Iowans overcoming adversity, he cited Charlene Shurtz as “one of too many people in Cedar Rapids who lost everything in the floods.”

“But now, I'm happy to report that she is one of 3,000 Iowans eligible for a home buyout, which means soon, Charlene will be in her new home, where she belongs,” Culver said.

Shurtz has purchased a new home, but she's not sure how soon she will get her buyout. The city has told her the process could take up to nine months. However, Shurtz agrees with the governor that she and other flood victims are resilient.

“I think most of us are,” Charlene Shurtz. “Most of us wanted to get right back in there and do what we could to fix. We weren't looking for a handout. We just wanted to keep what we had.”

Shurtz, 57, couldn't keep what she had. Her home of 23 years on Fourth Street SW had 6.5 feet of water on the main floor.

“I never dreamed it would get any higher than the basement, so didn't get a chance to put things up,” she said.

With FEMA and state assistance, she has been able to move on to a new home. After living with her daughter for more than a year, Shurtz has bought a home off Mount Vernon Road, away from the river.

She received down payment assistance and Jumpstart is paying her mortgage for the time being. However, if the process takes nine months, Shurtz will be paying mortgages on two houses – something the support staff member at a home for developmentally disabled adults said she can't afford.

After sitting in the front row of the House balcony to hear Culver's speech, Shurtz attended his reception. It was the first time she had been to the Capitol and the first time she had met Culver.

She told him flood victims have been dealing with a lot of uncertainty and a lot of stress.

“I think the process could have been made easier, the agencies could have been more informative,” she said. “I wish they could find a way to speed things up.”

If the governor's mention of her improves the process, Shurtz will be happy.

“If I can do anything to help - I'm three-fourths of the way through this, but I know a lot of people who need more help, so if this brings attention to those who need help, that's what I'd like to do,” Shurtz said.