The past month has truly been overwhelming here at KCRG. At the end May/beginning of June, I spent much of my time in Parkersburg covering the devastating tornado that hit the town. I thought this would be some of the worst destruction I would ever see in my life. Despite all the flattened homes and businesses, I was amazed by how optimistic and friendly people were in the community. During a time like that, people could have easily become irritable or grumpy. Instead, everyone seemed to focus on the positive.

After we finished our Parkersburg coverage, no one expected something just as bad (if not worse) was about to hit Iowa. The Flood of 2008 is something that has changed Cedar Rapids and all of Eastern Iowa forever. I don’t think anyone at KCRG or in the Cedar Rapids area ever expected the water would rise as high as it did. It’s impossible to prepare for this kind of a catastrophic event. However, I think everyone has done the best they can to get through this difficult time.

I have never covered something of this magnitude or intensity as a reporter. I hope I never see a disaster like this ever again. Many people have called or e-mailed to ask how people here at KCRG are handling everything. We’re all exhausted, but no one’s complaining. We all understand how important it is to bring you accurate, up-to-date information. We all feel terrible about what has happened.

Right now, it might be hard to imagine how Cedar Rapids will recover from the flood. As the initial shock begins to wear off, it will be important to remain patient as the rebuilding process moves forward. It is going to take quite a bit of time. In fact, it will probably take years. The city won’t be the same, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This could be an opportunity for the community to rebuild stronger, bigger and better than ever.