In the rescue boat: Mason Ayers-Berry

Mason Ayers-Berry, volunteer at Lambourne Environmental Diving Service

Ever since Mason Ayers-Berry can remember, he's been on a boat. Whether it was at a job site with his dad's diving service, or just a family fishing trip, he's always been comfortable on the water.

And when flood waters raged down Second Avenue SE on June 12, 2008, and his dad's company, Lambourne Environmental Diving Service, was contacted by the city to help with transportation and flood rescue, Ayers-Berry said he was glad he'd had all that experience.

“It was kind of scary because I was 14 at the time and getting to go down to Cedar Rapids on a boat, through allies, and we were hitting cars, Dumpsters, parking meters, everything,” Ayers-Berry said.

Ayers-Berry, now 18 and working construction and maintenance on cell towers and broadcast transmission, estimated that Lambourne's two crews rescued about 100 people total over a period of two or three days. They also helped provide transportation for the fire department, because their boats were custom-built to handle tough water and debris, which made it easier to navigate the rough currents.

Even though Ayers-Berry said he worried about what would happen if the boat capsized or took on water, and whether it was possible for a member of their crew to fall out, get swept away, or drown, he looks fondly upon the experience.

“I remember by the side station, or the old IMAX Theater, there was a parking garage and there was a height limit sign, I think it was at 12 feet or something, and the water was probably six inches below it,” Ayers-Berry said. “And we were going past an alley and there was just a vortex of water shooting into the alley and it sucked us into it and that's when we were starting to hit Dumpsters.”

Though his father, Guy Ayers-Berry, has since retired, Mason said he would gladly take on a second chance to assist the city with rescue and transportation in the event of another flood.

“You can't really hope for it to happen again because it was bad, but the experience was exciting and fun,” Ayers-Berry said. “So if I got to have the experience again then I would, but I wouldn't want the actual flood to happen again.”