CEDAR RAPIDS -- Cedar Rapids' $900 million flood protection plan is starting to take shape.

The new levee and flood wall system will knock out about 500 homes to keep the rest of the city dry during a future flood.

On Thursday, we traveled along the river to talk to people about the proposed map.

Chad Rawson has spent thousands of dollars repairing his flooded home. It's become a full-time job.

"I just hope all this work I've been doing isn't going to waste,” Rawson said.

He was hoping for a clean start, but now everything has become cloudy. If the council approves the proposed levee system, Rawson's house will likely get demolished.

"I'm going to keep working for now until they decide what it is exactly that they want to do. Then, I guess I'll just take it one day at a time from there,” Rawson said.

The city would probably offer to buy him out. Buyouts are voluntary, but those who refuse to sell will run into obstacles.

"If the flood protection and levee system is behind them and they choose to stay, they'll be faced with difficulty getting insurance and getting services to their home,” Sasaki consultant Jason Hellendrung said.

While the current plan wipes out about five hundred homes, it does not protect the Rompot/Cedar Valley neighborhood.

Rowland Zerba lives in the area, and he's angry the city left him out.

"Evidentially, it's not too important to them. Don't ask me what their reasons are because I don't know myself,” Zerba said.

But, there is a reason.

"It's difficult to provide protection with the length of the levee system that would need to be installed. If we installed a levee, it would actually damage some of the homes we're trying to protect,” Hellendrung said.

Instead of building a levee or flood wall, these homeowners will have to elevate their houses or take other steps to protect their investment.

Even though everyone has a better idea now of where the flood protection will go, both men still feel like their future remains uncertain.

You'll have a chance to let the city know what you think about this plan at an open house later this month.

It's still not final and it will take at least ten to fifteen years to complete the project.