Cedar Rapids man denied access to save sinking houseboat during flood

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man said he was denied access three times under threat of arrest to save his houseboat from sinking into Ellis Harbor, during the flood of 2016 in September.

Public officials called it a life safety issue and said the city was under a state of emergency when the Cedar River crested at nearly 22 feet on Sept. 27.

'It is my understanding that the individual was denied access because it was a potentially dangerous situation with floodwaters,' said Greg Buelow, Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman. 'Officers and firefighters were trying to keep people out of the water because of swift currents and debris. There was a woman that was rescued who went into the water and public safety officials can attest to the fact that it ended up being a swift water rescue due to the conditions of the floodwaters.'

For Larry Rolfson, 60, it is not so black and white.

He was forced to stand by as the river washed away an estimated $85,000 worth of his property, even though he said he could have prevented it by cutting a bolt — a 15 minute fix — if he could have just accessed his houseboat. He said he can't get flood insurance living on the harbor, so it's a total loss.

See also: Could flood-related electrical damage at Ellis Harbor been avoided?

A stabilizing pole connected from the houseboat to land — normally horizontal — had gone fully vertical and was stuck propped up like a stilt under one end of the houseboat, which serves as a weekend cabin for Rolfson, his wife and grandchildren.

Rolfson knew when the water receded, his houseboat would tilt askew and likely be destroyed. The boat has an estimated resale value of $70,000, plus the value of the contents — appliances, a bed, furniture and electronics, he said.

He wanted to go out on the houseboat with a bolt cutter and free the tethering pole so the boat could ease down evenly, as it is supposed to. It would have taken about 15 minutes, he said.

City code prohibits entering the river when the water level reaches 13 feet and the Cedar River was nearly twice that high and flowing at 90 cubic feet per second, nearly four times action level. City officials had issued multiple warnings per day during that period for residents not to enter the river for fear of their safety and risk to emergency responders.

Still, Rolfson knew if he didn't act he'd lose his boat. Three separate times he attempted his plan with the help of friends. All three times they were thwarted under threat of arrest, twice by police and once by a fire and rescue team, he said.

'They told us we could not get in the water, period,' he said.

As the water receded, Rolfson's boat tilted upward and started talking on water in one end. The blue flotation barrels used to keep it afloat, came dislodged. The houseboat sank, along with his possessions, and remains at the bottom of the river.

'There's got to be some middle of the road,' Rolfson said. 'I have to be able to protect my property.'

Sven Leff, the Cedar Rapids parks and recreation director, which has oversight of the harbor, said he stands by the response from law enforcement.

Rolfson said he still is considering his options, including how to get his houseboat out of the water.