Flood Wall Minute Men?

CEDAR RAPIDS - Flood Wall Minute Men.

That's one idea behind the city's future plans to protect downtown Cedar Rapids from flooding.

Mayor Ron Corbett says he'd like to enlist a trained group of volunteers to be on standby should the city need to build removable steel flood walls at a moment's notice. Other communities, like Coralville and Iowa City have invested in the walls, some of them 8 to 12 feet high.

We watched with admiration as thousands of average people worked to protect Cedar Rapids during the 2008 flood, filling, hauling and carrying sandbags for hours, but could an average person help construct a 12 foot high flood wall?

“How much is levy, how much is removable walls, and the staffing needed to do that, those details aren't worked out yet,” explained Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Mark English.

But in several year's, Mayor Corbett says he wants removable flood walls to be part of a comprehensive flood protection plan for the city.

And he'd like a trained group of volunteers to help build the walls should disaster strike again. English says he remembers the stress and demands put on all emergency workers in 2008, and having a trained group of volunteers construct the walls, means his crews can respond to more calls for aid.

“We need all hands on deck. Anybody that can help, but again coordination and training will be two keys for that," said English.

But how much training and how much coordination is needed for just anyone to put up these walls?

City of Coralville Engineer Dan Holderness just finished a test build with his crews back in May.

“With a little practice, a little guidance, a little training, I think volunteers could do that,” said Holderness.

Holderness described the build as "organized chaos" but he does believe volunteers could help.

"As long as you had guidance from people from the city trained to do it, I think you could have volunteers and it'd make a big difference get it up quicker,” he said.

The Coralville City Engineer says he's planned to train his staff once a year on putting up the walls, and he'd suggest the same for volunteers in Cedar Rapids.

But there won't be a sign-up sheet just yet. Mayor Corbett says the city needs the funding for a comprehensive plan before it starts putting this group of flood minute men together.