C.R. council officials, hopefuls missed event

On Oct. 15, I took time out of my busy day to attend Watershed Event: Little-Known Story of 2008 Flood, an educational tour presented by the Indian Creek Nature Center, National Czech & Slovak Museum and Czech Village, KCRG-TV9, and the solid waste agency.

We not only learned how the flood event of 2008 happened (a perfect storm) but we also learned how, with visionary investment and leadership, we can protect our region through good environmental practices between private and public partnerships.

True, there are short-term costs when one decides to do business a different way. However, there are long-term costs when we choose to do things the same way. For example, it's shortsighted to plan for flood walls and not take into consideration what is going on with the river to the north and the south. Flood mitigation is not a Cedar Rapids issue, it's a regional one.

Finally, it was disappointing but not surprising that I did not see one single elected (or candidate hopeful) official at this informative, educational event.

Diana Rae Patten

Cedar Rapids