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TJ Boots and his wife Rhonda and their daughters Hannah, 3, (being carried) Kaelyn, 6, (dark blue clothes) and MaKenna, 5, (brown clothes) stand near a fence that separates them from their home at 2336 Blakely Blvd. SE on Tuesday, July 1, 2008, in southeast Cedar Rapids. The home is on the city's demolition list. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Cedar Rapids' City Leaders Say Don't Count on Buyout
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Becky Ogann
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Saturday, Jul 12 at 8:40 PM Linda wrote ...
What happens when they slap a yellow on and then they come back and told us to get out but it is still yellow on hte house but red on the internet?
Wednesday, Jul 9 at 5:36 PM Just a Thought wrote ...
Say, we need to legalize fireworks ASAP in Iowa. Everyone in the flood-zone could get some roman candles, bottle rockets and firecrackers. Then "by accident" some fires start and the whole area burns down. Gee...wouldn't then everyone get an insurance check??? Fire is covered under a standard polcy. Pretty sad...but true....?
Wednesday, Jul 9 at 2:01 PM To broken wing response #1 wrote ...
Hey... You... 3 blocks from the 500 year flood plain. You don't say what side of the flood line you are on, but I work in the insurance industry, and if your company wouldn't sell you a flood policy, rather than flip on your back with all 4's in the are... FIND SOMEONE WHO WOULD! You are likely going to have to go through a company that only sells flood insurance. Many conventional, mainstream companies don't offer it. You should have used your bold mouth to get some flood insuance-
Wednesday, Jul 9 at 12:26 PM TO BROKEN WING wrote ...
To broken wing---My house sits 3 blocks from the 500 year flood plan. My house is destroyed and according to my insurance company they would not have sold me flood insurance to begin with. So not everyone had a choice and made bad decisions. You can tell those of you that have not been effected. Hey broken wing-may your house fall down around you! How about you roll some dice and give your name and address.You dumb B----
Wednesday, Jul 9 at 9:28 AM No broken wing wrote ...
What happend to the people in the flood plains is horrible... Granted. BUT.. they opted to live there, and NOT have flood insurance. So I should drive without car insurance, cause an accident, and then ask my next-door neighbor to pay for the other guys damages, because I didn't have insurance to pay for it?? I don't think so. These people rolled the dice, and they lost, and that's a tragedy, but then to expect a bail out? Hmmm... Bad choices...bad decisions. But WHO made them-
Wednesday, Jul 9 at 8:39 AM Have to be patient wrote ...
The problem is communication of the relief or listening to our leaders. We are only going to get so much relief from the federal gov't. We only have so much money in our coffers. So as you wait to see what the city and federal governments GIVE to people of this disaster, have some compassion for our leaders. I am pretty sure that they ARE having trouble sleeping at night. This disaster isn't easy on anyone. Negativity is not going to make it better. Think.
Wednesday, Jul 9 at 8:30 AM Tina F wrote ...
Jules... Tina here...... flood dwelling coverage will pay for our mortgage, I pray most of it. We are in flood zone B so we can NOT get the demo grant, only those listed in Zone A can. So, my house will sit along will all the bad stuff in it and the yard.
Wednesday, Jul 9 at 5:04 AM Anonymous wrote ...
Uh oh People want welfare!!!! Just like people who have lots of kids for welfare money: i built(or bought) in a flood plain give me money! help we need it. we made bad decisions like drunk drivers, pity us.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 7:30 PM The truth is out there wrote ...
OK..We all know it..Our property taxes here in CR. are going to sky-rocket. The public, at large, is going to be one of the "push brooms" used to help clean up all of this. Hopefully, federal aid, rainy day fund, etc, will take a LARGE portion of this off of our backs. I was not in the area affected by the flood. I'm not sure I would have opted for flood insurance (If available to me) in the 500 year flood plain, but I SURELY would have had it in the 100 year flood plain. No perfect world-
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 6:08 PM steve wrote ...
building permits what a joke the city wants there cut i e taxes with the buy outs people are hoping to get time to move on you think taxes are bad now wait a round
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 5:58 PM Anonymous wrote ...
Who made you the word police LA Teacher? Get over yourself.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 5:02 PM oje wrote ...
give me a building permit or suck it justin shields
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:55 PM To LA Teacher wrote ...
LA Teacher - Why don't you look at your own post before pointing fingers at others? In case you need some help, all sentences should end in some form of punctuation, and you have inappropriate spacing between your punctuation and the following word. And both of those errors are in the same sentence. Thank you.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:47 PM worried person wrote ...
LA teacher wrote "to check a dictionary..." everything is spelled right.....makes me sad to know that our education system is letting our teachers down...
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:41 PM harrison court wrote ...
I have flood insurance,but I am not so sure I would not be better off without it. They are depreciating out my furnace and water heater. I'm not sure they are covering anything else. I am one of the lucky ones, with water only in the basement. But I don't feel so lucky right now.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:40 PM Julie Ritchie CheckVillage 100 year flood plain wrote ...
I just want to know, since I have flood insurance to only cover the structure; is the city wanting to demo it or will the clause in my insurance needing to demo it.The city needs to deem the 100 year flood plain uninhabitable, with all the sewer, deisel, acetone, kerosene, even if you built it up your living on a cancer zone.So come on City of Cedar Rapids, don't you care about the health of your citizens!!!!
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:22 PM Anonymous wrote ...
Heres an idea, If your worried about your mortgage, just give the deed back to the bank as a voluntary repo and walk away.. Then its the bank's problem, yea you'll trash your credit, but, your credit will fix itself in a couple of years as long as this is your only blip. For those that own the home and city demo's it, just stop paying the taxes on it and let them have it.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:08 PM LA Teacher wrote ...
Some of these comments are a joke, and would you all please proof read what you are writing. Also,there should be a DICTIONARY close by to make sure we are spelling correctly
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:08 PM Major Disappointed wrote ...
This is what I expected. I lived one-half a from the 100 flood plain, and getting a inside inspection has been impossible. Inside damage has been structural and is more than the house is worth, but do you think they will go inside and look. NO WAY, they threw a Yellow Placard on it, and say it's fixable told me to get an engineer to look at it, cost of 1000.00. SBA and FEMA says not fixable. So I am looking for a new home now. This council is useless. God Be with us all, because they are not.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 4:07 PM Please Explain wrote ...
I do not understand why people affected are not in favor of grants and low interest loans?
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 3:47 PM what wrong with this world wrote ...
you can't get a loan for a $2,000 car without full coverage insurance but you can get a mortgage for a $100,000 house in a flood plain with out flood insurance. somethings not right here.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 3:39 PM idea wrote ...
To those mortgage companies who loaned money to people in flood zones with out requiring flood insurance. If you actually had a soul you would atleast refund/subtract any interest over prime you have been payed all these years from the balance you are owed. Then possibly with a little money from fema you might not get so many homes through forcloser. People could walk away with a manageable loss and have a fighting chance to be able to own a home again someday. Make your interest then.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 3:25 PM YOU FORGET wrote ...
You forget a member of the city council has been directly impacted by the flooding. Justin Shields' home was severly damaged also.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 3:18 PM Bob wrote ...
What is the "RAINY DAY FUND" for?????????????????? Why aren't THEY dipping into it - Haven't we had enough RAIN !!!
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 3:10 PM Bill wrote ...
While we wait to see the out come of our homes we are made to still pay the morgage and insurence on it and by the way the morgage company said I was not in a flood plain and the city seems to think I am so which crook do I belive.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 2:43 PM Anonymous wrote ...
GM do your homework. The city would have to chip in some along with the state and feds for a buy out.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 2:17 PM Old Guy wrote ...
Very Very strong opions here. I can feel you pain just by reading you feedback. Maybe you guys could hire a attorney or someone to keep tabs on what is suppose to be happening and get some real time lines in place. Togeather we are strong- Divided we will fall. You should not have to pay a morgage on property that the goverment does not allow you in..... You need some representation here. The city should pay for this group to represent you independantly. Or the state should. At least your voice
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 2:08 PM Irritated wrote ...
As far as the previous form of city government, they were no better. What happen to all the money that was provided after '93? It was supposed to help prevent this from happening again by drudging the river to make it deeper and replacing storm sewers to help prevent back-up, OH WAIT I remember city beautification projects used up that money. The perch for the crows called the "TREE OF 5 SEASONS"
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 2:05 PM GM wrote ...
They are talking about a government buy out, the city councel has nothing to do with that. Suddenly alot of experts on everything have come out of the woods to criticize everything. If your such an expert i'll expect you to run for office next election, oh I forgot you hide behind anonyminity. If you'd have done your homework you'd know that is the standard expected time table for the government buy out procedure.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 1:52 PM Anonymous wrote ...
why pay people for making bad decisions this is like paying people on welfare to have more kids it is ridiculous.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 1:50 PM Betty wrote ...
First of all, anybody who thinks they weren't personally impacted by the flood is wrong. In one way or another we're all in this together. Secondly, who here has experience with such a large scale catastrophe? Grand Forks said it took 10 years to recover!! If you have a solution please run for council; we can use your insight. And those who think the city should pay for everything, will be the first to whine when their property taxes skyrocket.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 1:46 PM confused wrote ...
Trying to understand how so many people didn't have flood insurance in the flood zones. I find it upesetting that so many mortgage companies didn't require flood insurance. Why isn't there goverment regulations on mortgages in flood plains. I know that first time home buying is confusing and we all make mistakes but shouldn't these banks be somewhat liable for being dumb and not requiring flood insurance to protect there customers and themselves. Shame on you mortgage companies. Enjoy you repos.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 1:44 PM John E wrote ...
As a former D Ave NW home owner (moved to a different state) and have watched the '93 waters come up to my front steps, I express my sympathy to the '08 flood victims. If I were still living on D Ave, my house would have flooded up to my second floor. This is unbelievable. If I needed to rebuild, I would consider a design that could handle a flood... and the city should buy the land, not the structures of anyone loosing their structures.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 1:26 PM Anonymous wrote ...
"City leaders in Cedar Rapids are telling residents"...(*I'll fill in the blank here*)... "We don't want to deal with this, it's too much work so we're going to pass it around to someone else and hope that eventually it'll all get taken care of. We (the leaders) all have our houses and possessions, so this really is a big waste of time for us. As for the rest of you, you're Scr*wed! But hey! Thanks for voting for us!"
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 1:11 PM Z wrote ...
This is why I don't live in Linn or Johnson county. This is why I don't live in town. This is why I don't live on a floodplain. This is why it's dangerous to rely on city/federal government to bail you out after a natural disaster. (ie:they won't.) Choose carefully where you decide to house your family and cherished possessions. Everyone has choices.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 1:00 PM taking up the reins wrote ...
Carol Martin - I want my Commission form of government back!! Where have you been lately?
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:59 PM Jim Cannon wrote ...
Most of this City Council is a joke.I bet if their houses had been effected they would be working harder to get something done.I feel sorry for those who lost their homes and then have to wait around for any word on what is going to be done for them.Keep in mind all of the Council members who give one excuse after another and get rid of them next election.The Mayor needs to speak up a little instead of sitting there,chewing gum and letting Fagan hee haw around.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:51 PM Anonymous wrote ...
ok folks, so how do we bring back the old type of city council ?? Agreed, I told everyone that would listen, this part time council is not going to work, and especially after the election...OMG I am ashamed that our City has a mayor that has no self caring as to how she looks, acts or carries herself, let alone when she opens her mouth...duh, my 5 year old granddaughter talks and communicates better than she does. I hope all that voted for this part time council are happy. I FOR ONE AM NOT !!!!!
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:47 PM Call for Action wrote ...
What if CR performs a large scale fundraiser? i.e. ask well know CR people to help with visibility; Zach Johnson, Ashton Kuschor(sp?) etc...
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:46 PM Linda wrote ...
What happens whem FEMA and SBA both turn you down and you have nothening to fall back on. Now I am paying on a house with a bad foundation and can not do nothing with it. But welfare cases get everything handed to them--food, shelter and money. I've worked all my life and get nothening. What a great government we have. HA HA
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:26 PM Anonymous wrote ...
This will turn the eyes of the NATION on those Cedar Rapids officials, and they will be scrutinized and analyzed and ultimately held accountable- just as those who failed during Katrina were. Let's give CNN a little nudge to keep the ( lack of ) progress in CR a top news story.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:15 PM How many wrote ...
of you will be running for city government since you know how to do it better/faster? What is typical is blaming government (City/State/US) for all the problems we encounter and then expect them to bail us out. I agree the city needs to make decisions sooner rather than later but all the finger pointing and negativity is not going to make things happen faster.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:03 PM I AGREE wrote ...
The new form of government was the worst thing this city could have done i voted against it now people are seeing that. They should have left it alone the way it was. Our city is going to go further down hill.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 12:00 PM Anonymous wrote ...
How can the city council accept a paycheck and call it payment for services rendered???
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:39 AM Permits wrote ...
I say if they will not give you a permit to rebuild your own house then they should buy it. We should not have to wait around for these poeple to decide what to do. Either give us our land back and the right to do what we need to do or buy us out of it and make one huge park. Cedar Rapids will be sorry if the tick all these poeple off. You already hear of poeple who have just moved away and left it the the state anyway. CR will be a washed up town in no time. We will take our money elsewhere.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:29 AM Sad but true, wrote ...
It may be time to condiser a move, whether you live in the flood zone or not. My optimism about how CR can rebound is dwindling. We may be looking down a very deep tunnel, with no light at the other end. I've said it many times before, and I will say it again, we NEVER should have changed to a part-time council governnment. That single decision is why we have useless "leaders" and non-commital decisions coming from City Hall.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:23 AM WTF wrote ...
What good is our city if it can not help poeple get out of this mess. They are the ones that did not build levies strong in the rompot area to begin with. The government hands out money for all sorts of other things.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:18 AM homeowner wrote ...
ok, how about none of us have to pay taxes untill they make some decisions
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:16 AM More info wrote ...
According to the Gazette Article.. they will NOT buyout demo'd properties and will make the owner pay for the demo.. They have said they are thinking of picking up the demo cost.. Well isn't that nice.. Stupid council
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:16 AM concilstinks wrote ...
These "City leaders" are anything but. I just don't know what to say. I feel so bad for the people of Cedar Rapids. I wish there was more I could do. These Leaders have turned their backs to the little guy and they need to go.
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:05 AM Stupid wrote ...
No help when you need it. How typical
Tuesday, Jul 8 at 11:02 AM lost wrote ...
so what are we homeowners supposed to do over the next year when no building permits are being issued and we still have mortgages to pay in homes we can't live in??
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