It's so strange to see your own city on MSNBC, especially with pictures like these. It's the type of thing that happens to other people in other places. It's bizarre to see boats shuttling people downtown 1st Ave (Main street Cedar Rapids) And it keeps raining! Right now it looks like the worst of the flooding won't come through till Tuesday! Experts are claiming this is a 500 year flood! It's no surprise that the director of FEMA will be visiting us soon. Right now no one knows the extent of the destruction, that will have to be determined only AFTER the water recedes.
Ironically, my neighborhood was gearing up for a garage sale this weekend. Even if the rain hadn't kept the people away, Nate & I decided that everything we'd marked for sale will now just go toward flood relief. It's obvious that many parts of our community have lost everything in less than a day. Thankfully a large part of the affected area include industrial facilities and businesses, not homes. The majority of homes in our area are in typical suburban sprawl far from flooded areas, ourselves included. But there are no words to describe the images we're watching, friends and neighbors who are watching their place of business become islands. Cedar Rapids typically finds pride in the fact that our city offices are grandly perched on an island, a rare feat shared only by Paris, France, you can only imagine what's becoming to these buildings, ousting important operations. This is beyond anything our community has ever experienced. Our prayers are with our city, our thanks to the brave souls who are providing for and protecting us at this moment. You can be sure we will stand beside you today and in the difficult days ahead.
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