University of Iowa recovers from flooding
July 9, 2008
Rescue workers patrol a flooded city street looking for stranded residents in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on June 13. Severe flooding devastated many communities throughout Iowa and the Midwest over the last several weeks.
Floodwaters from the Cedar River reached heights of more than 15 feet on June 13 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Flooding in neighboring Johnson County affected the University of Iowa in Iowa City, causing an estimated $231 million in damages to the campus.
It isn’t hard to picture the flooding that Iowa residents saw in early June. Just turn on the television.
In a statement made in Washington, Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, called the impact of the flooding “beyond description.”
Since the floods began, 78 counties in the state of Iowa have been declared federal disaster areas, including Johnson County, home of the University of Iowa.
As waters recede and thousands of volunteers flock to affected areas around the state, the administration at the university must grapple with preparing the campus for new students when the new semester begins in mid-August.
University of Iowa spokesman Steve Parrot said the university is currently conducting its summer orientation, and that students
seem receptive to coming to campus in the fall.
“We’ve got to make sure students know they can come back and that we have space for them in the residence halls.”
After flooding, summer classes were cancelled for one week as relief efforts continued, Parrot said. Plans were never in place to delay the start of the Fall 2008 semester.
“There was a rumor for a while that we wouldn’t start right away, but we are going to start on Aug. 25,” he said. “We never had any doubt.”
Parrot said that the university’s administration has worked quickly to repair what damage on campus it could, and is seeking alternative locations for some classes. Specifically affected was the Arts campus, which houses mostly art, art history, music and theater classes.
“We are scrambling, especially to find places for the arts students and the music students to practice,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but our president has said we’re going to be ready.”
Donations to the University of Iowa Foundation will be directed to faculty, staff and students who have been displaced by the flooding through a flood relief fund.
The remainder of the money will be used for relief at the university’s discretion, according to the university’s flood information Web site.
University of Iowa President Sally Mason stated in a news release e-mailed to the University of Iowa that “cooperation, dedication, and community spirit” have been shown since the flooding began.
MU Chancellor Brady Deaton extended a similarly spirited email to alumni in the affected area through the Mizzou Alumni Association, spokesman Todd McCubbin said.
“We’re just trying to let people know that we’re thinking of them and hoping things are going okay,” McCubbin said. “We’ve done that for the last few national disasters.”
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