City to reimburse flood victims for personal possessions

The city is creating a new disaster recovery program for flood victims.

The Personal Possessions Replacement Program will provide up to $10,000 in assistance to flood-impacted, owner-occupied households to replace personal possessions lost in the Flood of 2008.

The program is expected to provide assistance to about 1,400 residents. It will be funded with approximately $10.5 million dollars from local-option sales tax dollars.

The City Council unanimously approved the program on Tuesday.

Applications and contact information for the program administrator will be available on July 1 on the city's Web site (www.Cedar-Rapids.org) and at the temporary City Hall, 3851 River Ridge Dr. NE. Additional locations also will be announced on July 1.

The city in a news release encouraged all flood victims to apply for the program. In addition, the city will contact people who have registered through other disaster recovery assistance programs, including Jumpstart. The first disbursements from this program could begin as early as August.

Eligibility for the program will be based on the following criteria:

• Only owner-occupied households are eligible.

• The home must have been the owner's primary residence on June 13, 2008.

• The home must be located within the flood-affected areas designated by the city of Cedar Rapids: the Greenway, Construction/Study and Neighborhood Revitalization Areas.

• Assistance will be awarded on a per household basis only.

• Each application will be required to undergo a Duplication of Benefits (DOB) review for this program.

Full program rules and guidelines will be available on July 1 at www.Cedar-Rapids.org