Cabinet secretaries praise Iowa recovery

CEDAR RAPIDS - A pair of federal cabinet secretaries praised Iowans' resilience, perseverance and patience in rebuilding communities damaged by floods and tornadoes, suggesting the state is a model in disaster recovery.

A day after announcing nearly $517 million more in federal disaster recovery aid and a year after historic June 2008 flooding, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan walked the streets of Cedar Rapids to see the damage and the recovery.

In the Time Check neighborhood of northwest Cedar Rapids he visited with residents - some waiting for home buyouts, others rebuilding. On a walking tour from the now-empty downtown public library to the Veterans War Memorial Coliseum that housed city hall before it flooded Donovan listened as state and local officials talked about the need for more assistance.

Just as the recovery period is a time for partnership, innovation and collaboration, it's also a time for listening, Donovan said. He wanted to hear Iowans' stories to learn what's working and what the federal government can do to expedite the rebuilding effort.

"There is always frustration that this isn't moving quickly," Donovan said. "We as public servants owe (victims) everything we can do to move as quickly as possible."

Along with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, he talked of a partnership to give federal, state and local government and disaster victims more tools to respond more effectively.

"It is the federal government's responsibility to support communities like these in any way possible to rebuild damaged infrastructure, help families struggling to find a place to live and to revitalize local economies," Donovan said.

Vilsack, who also visited Columbus Junction, encouraged Iowans "not to pigeon-hole themselves into just disaster relief." He advised them to take advantage of the opportunities - and funds -- in the $787 billion federal stimulus package to rebuild and recover as well as begin to build a new economy

In the end, Donovan said, the measure of success won't be simply rebuilding communities.

"It is whether we have the courage and wisdom to do things differently," Donovan said. "It is whether we commit to saying we will do everything we can to make sure that this is the last time we will need to rebuild this community."

No community can the completely protected from natural disasters, he said. A new $312 million disaster recovery enhancement fund will help states do more "to ensure that families, communities and economies are less vulnerable in the future," he said.

"Our hope that with this fund, other states and localities will have the courage and resources to follow the lead of Cedar Rapids and Iowa," Donovan said, referring to plans for buying homes in flood-prone areas and other measures.

Donovan, who lived through the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York, and has visited communities devastated by Katrina and other hurricanes, was impressed with Iowa's recovery efforts.

"Iowa is moving in a thoughtful, forward-looking way to think about not just building back what was there, but building back better and stronger," he said. "I think Iowa is a model for the rest of the country. And they are farther along a year later than just about any other state I've seen."