Monday
Jun162008
Iowa City, IA
The damage and flooding in New Orleans, LA in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are the yardstick that many people refer to today when evaluating the destruction a large storm can leave behind. How many roads were closed, how many homes were flooded, how high did the water go, and what sort of lasting effect remains to be seen? Those are the questions that are asked, and the severity is frequently compared to NOLA to decide "how bad is it?"
The storm that left areas of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City flooded, is being referred to as "the Katrina of the Midwest." Crops were damaged, neighborhoods were flooded, and many were shocked to discover that yes, it can happen to you- you, too, can lose everything in the blink of an eye.
I flew to Chicago and drove a rented SUV to Iowa City. Along the way, because bridges were out and roads were closed, I was frequently diverted to side roads and at one point, the road was washed out entirely and my vehicle got stuck in a mud hole. It was pulled out by a very polite farmer named Dustin, using a very big, very green, and very noisy John Deere tractor. They did not seem surprised that I was going to Iowa City.
I had to stop in three places to get directions, even with a GPS, because of the roundabout route I was taking. One woman behind the counter told me she was very tired of people showing up as "lookie-loos" and taking pictures of drowned houses. She also fixed me with a withering look that could melt candle wax, when I asked her if she was following the politics in Washington at all.
I received that same incredulous look from three people today, all of whom refused to actually be interviewed. All three, however, told me the same type of answer: No, because what happens in Washington, does not apparently affect them in any way. A woman actually burst into laughter at the question, and added further that there is no reason for either of the candidates to show up in Iowa to show their support, because "what are they supposed to do, stand in front of the TV and emote for us?"
She, and others on the sidewalk that chimed in, agreed that money should not be spent on having either Senator McCain or Senator Obama show up to survey the damage done in Iowa. Iowa needs their money, they said, and Iowa will take care of its own.
The storm that left areas of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City flooded, is being referred to as "the Katrina of the Midwest." Crops were damaged, neighborhoods were flooded, and many were shocked to discover that yes, it can happen to you- you, too, can lose everything in the blink of an eye.
I flew to Chicago and drove a rented SUV to Iowa City. Along the way, because bridges were out and roads were closed, I was frequently diverted to side roads and at one point, the road was washed out entirely and my vehicle got stuck in a mud hole. It was pulled out by a very polite farmer named Dustin, using a very big, very green, and very noisy John Deere tractor. They did not seem surprised that I was going to Iowa City.
I had to stop in three places to get directions, even with a GPS, because of the roundabout route I was taking. One woman behind the counter told me she was very tired of people showing up as "lookie-loos" and taking pictures of drowned houses. She also fixed me with a withering look that could melt candle wax, when I asked her if she was following the politics in Washington at all.
I received that same incredulous look from three people today, all of whom refused to actually be interviewed. All three, however, told me the same type of answer: No, because what happens in Washington, does not apparently affect them in any way. A woman actually burst into laughter at the question, and added further that there is no reason for either of the candidates to show up in Iowa to show their support, because "what are they supposed to do, stand in front of the TV and emote for us?"
She, and others on the sidewalk that chimed in, agreed that money should not be spent on having either Senator McCain or Senator Obama show up to survey the damage done in Iowa. Iowa needs their money, they said, and Iowa will take care of its own.
tagged 
Flood, Iowa in News/Commentary
Flood, Iowa in News/Commentary
Reader Comments (1)
I understand the pride Iowans take in their own self-sufficiency, however, the rest of us Americans wonder why we spend so much on helping everyone EXCEPT our fellow Americans in Iowa and Louisiana! Surely the contributions of these wonderful people deserve the support that they have given to the country, and the world, in every respect. If I recall correctly, the last time they had a flood the insurance companies were screaming that they didn't want to pay for damage in a flood plain, though they seem to have no problem paying out for damage on coastlines where the rich and famous dwell.
I for one am sick and tired of our citizens being abused. Where is FEMA and DHS when we need them? What are we dumping billions of dollars into those black holes of waste, inefficiency and uselessness for? They are no help at Katrina, no help with the tornadoes, no help with this flood, and I'll bet you that soon we'll have some internal attacks that they couldn't protect us from either. That department needs to GO. Its worse than useless to anyone.