Tell all of the story

Editor's note: Mayor Ron Corbett was among many who made speeches at Thursday's Show You Care event commemorating five years of Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa resilience since the Flood of 2008. The mayor's remarks captured the essence of the day's significance and deserve reflection. Following is the full text of his speech.

I have given a lot of speeches or remarks as mayor and over my lifetime. I always seem to find a way to come up with a theme or words to speak. Sure, I get ideas, thoughts or talking points from others, but I always try and make the words authentic, my own. I have to tell you, I have really struggled on what to say and how to say it today. Where should I place the focus?

On the damage of the flood or the progress that has been made in those five years?

When I think back five years ago, so much emotion comes to mind. Words that might describe the various feelings people were experiencing. Despair, shock, disbelief, hopelessness, frustration, anger. If I talk only about the flood, the devastation, although factual, it would be too somber, too depressing and not very uplifting. It would also ignore all the progress that has been made over the last five years.

If I talk only about all the progress that has been made in the last five years - the new convention center, reopening of the Paramount Theatre, new homes being built in flooded neighborhoods, the new central fire station - I might come across as being too celebratory or even bragging, ignoring the pain and suffering the flood caused. You see my struggle?

The fact is, we did have a natural disaster - a flood that ranks as one of the worst natural disaster in our country's history.

We aren't the first community nor will we be the last to experience a disaster. We know there will be hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and, yes, flooding around our county.

When you have a disaster, you have both the devastation and the rebuilding. We have to recognize that people's lives were turned upside down, finances were put in jeopardy, homes were lost. People cried out to God, “Why me?”

Possessions including family heirlooms and keepsakes were piled high on the curbs of streets. The stench. The old Swiss Valley sign along the I-380 S-curve - the building and jobs are gone. The sleepless nights, the anxiety every time it rains.

Not very uplifting but that is part of our story. It is a part that cannot be forgotten. We have to remember to keep telling the disaster part of our story, because it makes the other part of the story even more amazing.

The other part of the story is the rebuilding of the community.

l We will soon have a new library, millions of dollars in private sector investment, and job creation.

l Our water supply that was just one sandbag away from being contaminated has been protected by raising 39 of our collector wells.

l The small business recovery programs that were put in place resulted in 82 percent of our small businesses reopening vs. a national average of 55 percent.

l Down payment assistance programs to help people get in new or existing homes.

l Thousands of volunteers who came locally and from all over the country to help us rebuild homes.

This part of our story also needs to be told. This part of the story might be easier to tell because it is more uplifting. As a community we have to tell both stories - the disaster and the rebuilding.

The flood of 2008 altered our lives and our community. Some may say it altered us in good ways, others think it altered us in bad ways. The fact is our community and our lives were altered. How have we been altered?

I think some people have more empathy for other communities experiencing disasters. Some people have a closer bond with friends and family. Some people have a greater appreciation for volunteering. Some people have more distrust of traditional institutions. Some people are grateful for government safety nets. Some people will carry scars.

I find inspiration in music. There is a popular Broadway musical called “Wicked.” It's based off the story of the “Wizard of Oz.” It is a story about a good and a bad witch who find friendship among their differences.

At the end, when they say their final goodbyes, they realize the impact they have had on each other and sing a song called “For Good”:

“Who can say if I have been changed for the better … . I have been changed for good.”

I interpret “changed for good” in two ways: changed for good meaning permanently altered and, second, being changed for good in a positive way.

As I apply those words, “Who can say if we have been changed for the better?” to us, I for one think we have changed for the better, but I recognize there are some who may not feel that way.

More important, five or 10 years from now, as we and others look back, I hope we can say “we have been changed for the good.”

l Comments: editorial

@thegazette.com or ron.corbett@cedar-rapids.org