Special Report: Iowa Flooding           

Submitted by Inés Pearce, Chief Executive, Pearce Global Partners

The Iowa disaster began with a horrible tornado and was followed by major flooding of both urban and rural areas. To date, 86 counties have Governor's Proclamations, 78 of which have Presidential disaster declarations. The hardest hit urban area was the City of Cedar Rapids where the downtown core was brought to a standstill first by water, then by mud and debris, followed by an ongoing power outage. Three major plants along the riverside were hit hard, but by travelling only a few streets the impacts could be seen by small, medium and large businesses alike. Crews and volunteers worked hard on site to remove damaged property and debris.

Thanks to the Office Depot Foundation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) met and continues to work with the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce, the City of Cedar Rapids, and the Downtown Association to determine what was needed and how we might help. BCLC is directing corporate donors into Iowa to work with non-profits supporting the disaster effort. Due to an existing and developing public-private partnership, Iowa had a jump start on information sharing, cooperation, and recovery. This has allowed business to focus on critical issues as they were kept informed. Some smaller communities, such as the Iowa City area and the town of Coralville, are just beginning to tackle their impacted business issues.

In all, 25,317 Iowa households have registered for federal assistance: 4,400 businesses and 15,500 homeowners. What still remains to be ascertained is the flooding impacts to agriculture which is estimating $4 billion in losses. While the economic impacts will be significant, the Iowans are highly motivated and they have jumped into rebuilding quickly.