By The Gazette Editorial Board —- We think the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General got it right. Earlier this month, the OIG concluded that the Federal Emergency Management Agency should not pay the city of Cedar Rapids $13.8 million for flood damages sustained by the disabled hydroelectric plant at the 5-in-1 [...]
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By Kamyar Enshayan —- It is year 2018, and after several weeks of intense rainfall, the National Weather Service is forecasting another week of rain and superstorms and possibly record floods. Future I Immediately following the 2008 flood, residents worked with local, state and federal officials to develop a comprehensive 10-year plan. The [...]
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A University of Iowa appeal for federal dollars to help fund $30 million in flood mitigation to underground campus utility tunnels has been denied. UI officials had appealed the decision of the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding the tunnel mitigation funding, and that appeal was recently denied by FEMA’s regional office in Kansas City, university [...]
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By Ron Moore —- What is our obligation to be good stewards of state and federal government assistance? Of local government spending? Is our use of tax money efficient and effective? Since the flood of 2008, this community has received a lot of government funding. Looking at what we have received through the lens [...]
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By Barbara Eckstein —– Dear Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin: … Together, you have the extraordinary authority of long public service, political experience and commitment to Iowans. My concern is climate change and the need for political leadership to address this reality in a rational and compassionate manner. With your influence earned [...]
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University of Iowa officials are giving the federal government a few more months to provide answers to questions regarding funding for the flood-damaged Museum of Art before moving on with other options for the facility, UI President Sally Mason said Wednesday. The idea of litigation against the Federal Emergency Management Agency over the art museum [...]
continue »Gazette Editorial Board – Don Karr sees all the cranes in the air on the east side of the river. OK. But what about the west side, the Cedar Rapids at-large city council member asked during an interview with us? Karr’s passion springs from frustration tied in part to news about the new Time Check [...]
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IOWA CITY — A federal government decision to pay to replace three flood-damaged University of Iowa buildings at new sites is good news for progress on university recovery, officials said, but also might have implications for flood recovery projects in Cedar Rapids. The ruling by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, announced Wednesday, settles a [...]
continue »There’s still no final word from Homeland Security regarding replacement funding for three University of Iowa facilities damaged in the 2008 flood. The Federal Emergency Management Agency in August officially sided with the UI in a federal dispute about funding for three flood replacement projects at the university. But the final decision now rests with [...]
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INDEPENDENCE — The new Independence Junior/Senior High School includes space for a “safe room,” the first ever in Buchanan County. On Friday, the district reported that FEMA will offer the Independence Community School District a $831,064 grant, including $733,292 in federal funds and $97,772 state funds, for the safe room, designed to “meet FEMA criteria [...]
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