Cedar Rapids, Iowa Begins Post-flood Cleanup

PlusCedar Rapids, Iowa Begins Post-flood CleanupCedar Rapids, Iowa Begins Post-flood CleanupThe Associated PressNow that the flood waters have receeded from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, there's a big mess to cleanup. The city has even reopened a once-closed landfill to handle all the flood-damaged goods. (June 24)(sot)It'll take a long time before this town looks normal..(vo)THE WATER MAY BE GONE, BUT CEDAR RAPIDS IOWA IS STILL DROWNING.. IN TRASH..(SOT)There is a years worth of garbage sitting on the curbside right now....(VO)DAVE COACH (KOCH) IS WITH THE CEDAR RAPIDS FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEIR HEADQUARTERS TOOK 9 FEET OF WATER... EVERYTHING IN THE BUILDING IS TRASHED....EVERYTHING, AND IT'S LIKE THAT FOR BLOCK AFTER BLOCK HERE..(SOT)You drive down the streets and there are piles six 8 ten feet high on both sides of the streets it is overwhelming..(SOT)This is all of our clothes, everything(vo)IT SOUNDS CLICH TO SAY THAT SOME PEOPLE LOST EVERYTHING, BUT SOME PEOPLE DID... CARLA MOORE IS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE..(SOT)Carla moore/victim"it's like a warzone you come here thinking this is my stuffthis is our stuff, one minute you have everything the next it's gone..."(VO)CITY AND STATE CREWS ARE ALREADY CLEARING THE STREETS BLOCK BY BLOCK BUT EXPECT IT WILL TAKE MONTHS TO FINISH THE JOB.THAT'S A PROBLEM BECAUSE MUCH OF THIS STUFF IS STILL WET, IT *SMELLS* TERRIBLE.. BUT NOTHING HERE SMELLS WORSE, THAN THE REFRIGERATORS.. AND THOUSANDS OF THEM LINE THE STREETS..(SOT)What does it smell like down here?? Until you've experienced one of these refrigerators with rotten meat.. I can't do it.. The smell is indescribable(STANDUP)FOR NOW CEDAR RAPIDS IS BRINGING THE PILES OF DEBRIS HERE TO A LANDFILL THEY ACTUALLY CLOSED SEVERAL YEARS AGO... THE PLAN IS TO TAKE THE CAP OFF IT AND STUFF AS MUCH OF THIS STUFF IN AS POSSIBLE, SO IT DOESN'T FILL UP THEIR NEW LANDFILL IN ONE FELL SWOOP... RICH MATTHEWS THE AP CEDAR RAPIDS IOWA.. ___ ___, The Associated Press.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• iowa
• cleanup
• cedar
• rapids
• begins
• post-flood

[sibzianna]

How do you like your air there? Asbestos filled junkyard! We still need help here- we are the forgotten disaster-

[oldrestless]

Cedar Rapids is 2 percent black and New Orleans was 60 percent black. It's not a multi cultural city.

[HCelticPrincessness]

Actually Cedar Rapids does have blacks, and a a dozen other minorities as well. One thing about our state is that the overall population is quite low.The greatest blessing is that we have not had people die in the flood. During Katrina, every story I watched you would see bodies floating in the flood waters, not here. This has been a major blessing. When people were told to evacuate they did. So at least you can say that we pay attention to the authorities most of the time.

[AJuner78]

There wasn't much looting in LA after Hurricane, either.

Especially considering the failures of the bush administration whom let all those unfortunate people parish due to mismanagement and political manipulation.

The publicity on that was the corrupt republicans and their sleezy stigmatizing innocent people for the sake of ratings. That attitude problem is going to have to change in this country.

It's is rude and childish.

Not acceptable!