State has been key player in region's recovery

DES MOINES – Former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge recalls as coordinator for state emergency operations in June 2008 getting river crest data for eastern Iowa waterways from weather forecasters and thinking something was wrong.

“I can remember saying to them, ‘That can't be right. Something's wrong here. Your gauges are wrong. Your projections are wrong.' And, of course, they were slightly wrong to the bad,” Judge said in an interview. “It actually crested a little higher than they predicted. It was just overwhelming.”

And so the saga of the state's response to the worst natural disaster in Iowa history began. For those at the helm of a massive recovery voyage that took the state and affected communities through uncharted bureaucratic waters and countless hours of frustration, they say they saw the worst and the best of Iowa's 2008 disaster in all its widespread devastation and unprecedented response.

Judge gave high marks to the Iowa National Guard soldiers and first-responders who helped protect people, animals and property in the early stages of a multi-billion dollar disaster that affected more than 40,000 Iowans in 85 of Iowa's 99 counties. Foremost among the damaged communities was Cedar Rapids, where much of the downtown area was swallowed up in churning, unforgiving flood waters.

“At that time five years ago, it was just like put your hands on your head and put your head down on the table and feel very, very overwhelmed,” she said. “No one at that moment was looking out five years and thinking here's what we're going to do and here's how we're going to look. We were just looking at how do we get through today, how do we make sure that people are safe with shelter, food and water, and then how do we get rid of the debris?”

Early on, former Gov. Chet Culver used his executive order powers to create the Rebuild Iowa Office as a temporary agency to deal with aftermath of damaging tornadoes and floods and to help procure and coordinate federal and state recovery funds for the affected communities – with Cedar Rapids taking the lead position on that list after the Cedar River ravaged a major portion of Linn County.

Judge recalls legislators from Linn and Johnson counties, along with community, business and private-sector leaders championing the cause of enlisting a public-private partnership to rebuild one of Iowa's major economic corridors even better than it was before history came gushing through the area.

“They were very insistent and very persistent that Cedar Rapids was going to rebuild. I think you've got some strong people up there,” said Judge, who served as RIO executive director through much of its existence until it ended in June 2011 and most of its functions were incorporated in existing state agencies.

By February 2009, lawmakers unanimously approved a $56 million disaster recovery package that provided $10 million to the Iowa Department of Human Services to be used to help individuals pay for unmet needs such as clothing, housing, food and mental health assistance. There also was $24 million in housing assistance for the state Jumpstart program with a cap of $24,999 per household, and another $22 million for cities and counties to use for buyouts, small business assistance, non-profit assistance, public infrastructure and other recovery efforts.

Lawmakers followed that up with an $875 million I-JOBS borrowing plan that directed a major share of the resources to Linn and Johnson counties and a separate 10-year state flood mitigation program capped at $30 million annually in state sales tax revenue with a maximum award of up to $15 million a year for any qualifying single community to match local and federal funds that communities would spend on flood protection projects.

The legislation would authorize bond issuances and cover the construction and reconstruction of levees, embankments, impounding reservoirs, or conduits that are necessary for the protection of property from the effects of floodwaters.

All tolled, the legislative efforts contributed to revitalization, replacement, upgrading or construction of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Cedar Rapids public works, Options of Linn County, the National Czech & Slovak Museum, the Cedar Rapids convention center, fire stations in Cedar Rapids and Palo, the Paramount Theater, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the federal courthouse, the Linn County public service center, the University of Iowa Flood Center and many UI projects to come.

Although there were critics of the I-JOBS bonding approach, Cedar Rapids officials believe the state money provided a vital monetary infusion that nurtured a recovery process that avoided a mass migration of people who became frustrated or saw little hope for the near-term future.

“For Cedar Rapids, it was absolutely critical, and for people who were critical of the I-JOBS never said where they were going to get the resources without I-JOBS,” said Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids.

“So, without it, we wouldn't have had this significant state assistance for our flood recovery that we really needed. It was critical to have that assistance and we got the assistance and we needed it. Cedar Rapids is in much better condition than we would be if we had not had state assistance,” he added.

“I think we would be years behind, but more importantly we would be rebuilding our city in a lesser way. We would be selling our community short,” Hogg added.

Judge said she is convinced the I-JOBS program “had to happen” to provide an economic bridge to get Cedar Rapids through a tough period and begin the rebuilding process. She said she visited the city recently and was “just amazed” by the change that has taken place over the past five years.

“Cedar Rapids just pulled together and rebuilt and it looks good. It's amazing. That's one tough city. They've come back in tremendous style and I think they're going to have a bright future,” she said.

“I think it's a tremendous story of resilience, of a community working together and working with state and federal offices to make things happen,” Judge added. “The fact that Cedar Rapids is where it is today compared to other cities that have undergone similar kinds of disasters, we've done well and we deserve a pat on the back.”