The members of the Rebuild And Grow Board of Directors submitted a public petition to the Cedar Rapids City Council this week requesting an intensive one-year plan for dealing with flood recovery and reconstruction in the city.
Rebuild And Grow is an affiliate of Beacon of Hope/New Orleans, and its leaders consulted with disaster recovery groups in New Orleans in forming the recommendations.
The full text of Rebuild And Grow’s petition to the Cedar Rapids City Council is after the jump. The council is expected to respond in writing within a week.
If you would like to send comments or support for this citizen petition to the mayor and council members, click here.
Rebuild and Grow has also written “a ten page report on what we learned during our intensive training and internship with Neighborhood Self-Help Disaster Recovery Groups in New Orleans.” To request a copy of that report, send an e-mail to floodsurvivor AT aol.com.
The Petition; City Council WED Aug. 20, 2008
Council Members, Madame Mayor;
Our comments tonight are not intended as criticism of the Council or any city departments or staff. None of us had any preparation or fore knowledge of how to respond to the most disastrous event in the history of this fine City. We do offer a challenge tonight, not just to our Council, but to every leader in our community; the leaders of business, service organizations and our leaders of faith and conscience.
We challenge all City leaders to initiate a One Year Plan of Action that Starts Today
The Flood of 2008 requires an emergency level of response. The recovery response requires the same level of community involvement and commitment after the flood that we saw exhibited by the citizens of Cedar Rapids during the sandbagging before the flood. The sandbagging demonstrated the kind of community we really are. Now we need to get back in emergency mode to be ready for the imminent challenges of an Iowa Winter.
We are here as spokespersons for Rebuild And Grow, a not for profit with the specific and clearly defined purpose of urgent community flood recovery. Rebuild And Grow is an affiliate of Beacon of Hope/New Orleans.
In a major disaster there are three approaches to action;
1. do it “to em” -exploitive contractors and other profiteers show up on the scene
2. do it “for them” -traditional governmental or agency “victim mode”
this approach has very little public input and self-determination
3. do it “with them” the self-help approach we are modeling with Rebuild and
and Grow. Our goal is to offer the opportunity for flood “victims” to become
“survivors”. We shift to “survivor”, by accepting self-sufficient action.
Rebuild And Grow will partner closely with all other entities that are rising to the cause of flood recovery in our area, such as Linn Area Long Term Recovery Coalition, The East Central Volunteer Reception Center, Corridorrecovery.org, and numerous faith based disaster recovery groups, etc. Rebuild And Grow simply serves as one catalyst to pull all of us together for effective “proactive” neighborhood recovery and rebuilding activity. Our focus is self-help.
We need “all hands on deck” to organize a very effective community wide emergency response for recovery. Rebuild And Grow is taking the initiative to call forth a partnering approach for self-help work. We’ll work with all other available groups to build a community wide organizational capacity.
We are all in this together, and no one group or organization has the capacity to bring about fully effective action. The need is so huge, that we need to find the most effective ways to work together. Together, we do have the capacity and community will for very effective action.
We need to call forth the same community spirit and participation that fueled the massive effort to sandbag before the flood. We now need this same level of effort to clean up after the flood.
We cannot lead this charge from behind desks or just in meetings. Our leaders need to be on the street at on the very front lines of disaster recovery. You can call forth this action.
With “all hands on deck”, we will carry out an emergency response in Cedar Rapids Iowa;
Rebuild and Grow has mapped out a clear and decisive plan of action;
1. Form Recovery and Rebuild Response Self Help Teams in every one of the 6 flooded neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids. Map out a flooded area grid map and assess present stage of gutting and property clean up. Announce a block by block schedule in The Gazette, door to door flyers, and radio and television public service announcements.
2. Thoroughly gut and seal up every flooded property before winter and target Spring ’09 for rebuild. To do anything less would create a growing health, fire and safety hazard.
All of the disaster recovery groups that we met with in New Orleans stated the exact same thing;
No matter what, even if there is a possibility that a property will eventually be demolished, gut and seal up every single building. The gut and seal work activity accomplishes several things;
A. psychological closure for the owner or residents even if the property is eventually demolished. Gutting and sealing a home is the honorable approach, no matter what the end result will be. Many of these homes were built by grandparents, passed on for generations. We need to respect them by cleaning and caring for each home and each neighborhood. This process cannot be delayed. Each family can then have a “ceremony of closure” to start their healing process. This can be ministered by a faith based group, or a group of neighbors as requested.
Some families will do this as a private and quiet family process.
B. preserve all options for future rebuilding after a long term recovery plan is in place. The most affordable housing is the home that is already there. The most “green” homes are built by using existing materials; recycle and rebuild. The most historic homes are in our core neighborhoods.
C. safety and health issues; minimize rodent, pest and physical hazards in the flooded zones.
900 square blocks of garbage and debris is now a huge health, safety and fire hazard, and the effects are now spreading into the entire city. City Government cannot ignore this emergency need any longer. Stopping because of lack of FEMA reimbursement is “penny wise” and dollar foolish.” The long term cost of inaction will be immense. Leaving this public health and safety and fire hazard in our streets is irresponsible. We presently have a 900 square block breeding ground for rats, raccoons, roaches and mosquitoes. Rats run, roaches crawl and mosquitoes fly. This is now a citywide health and safety issue and must be addressed on a whole city level. This is more than just City Government can handle. We need the sandbagging attitude to clean our city.
Thousands of abandoned houses are also an attractor for unmanaged and unsafe vagrancy.
Those that are homeless and displaced by the Flood deserve safe, clean, warm shelter. We call on every church in Cedar Rapids to claim the centuries old tradition of Sanctuary to meet this emergency need.
Since winter is coming fast in Iowa, we need to set a goal for every home and property in the flooded areas are fully gutted, all debris and garbage removed, all pipes sealed and drained and windows sealed before the first frost. All grass and weeds must be trimmed in public and private areas.
Rebuild And Grow offers a clear and decisive plan for immediate action that starts now in Late Summer-Early Fall ’08 and continues through Summer of 2009.
All summer we have had an influx of out of state volunteers. That source is now slowing dramatically. We need to call forth a major, statewide local volunteer response to meet emergency needs before winter.
Rebuild and Grow is contacting every single youth church group, high school,college and university in Iowa to set up an emergency volunteer youth corps for weekend “block brigades”.
Metro High School Faculty and the 600 students of Metro High School will form the initial core group of this very timely community volunteer effort. They will start with flood clean up with their immediate neighbors that were flooded out in the Oakhill Jackson Neighborhood. The executive Board of Rebuild and Grow are training block captains that live or own property in the other flooded neighborhoods to organize adult volunteers to supervise parallel efforts in all of the flooded neighborhoods.
Every Saturday and Sunday until winter, these “weekend warriors” of the emergency volunteer youth corps will be organized to march down the streets of the flooded areas “block by block”. We need the City Government to officially sanction this huge and urgent effort.
To carry out this urgent, emergency level clean up of the flooded zones before winter we need to call on;
*Cedar Rapids Police Dept. (at least one car on site as each block brigade passes)
*Cedar Rapids Solid Waste Agency for dump trucks and skidloaders
*Iowa National Guard (personnel and heavy equipment such as dump trucks and skidloaders)
*The East Central Volunteer Center (joint volunteer coordination)
*Cedar Rapids City Government
* Linn County Long Term Recovery to locate and notify each land owner to be on site.
*All neighborhood associations that work in concert with City Government
*Salvation Army food wagons to follow the volunteer block brigades
*All Faith Based Groups and all Service groups such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimists, etc.
*The Hawkeye Labor Council and volunteer contractors to show up with trucks and
skidloaders for debris removal and emergency clean up before winter sets in.
*Every property owner on the block for self-help effort (or a signed waiver for work)
Each Block Brigade will work like this as it moves down each flooded block:
* Three Gut and Seal trucks, outfitted with tools and materials to gut and seal for winter
* A dump truck and end-loader tractor follows to immediately dispose of flood debris
*lawn mower patrol follows to cut weeds and grass that are fast becoming a hazard.
*Red Cross and/or Salvation Army will follow with a food and water truck
At the end of one block, every Block Brigade stops work at 5 pm and we celebrate with a block party. This process will create community building that will last far past the flood cleanup.
Cedar Rapids will be a much stronger and better community than we were before our disaster.
During the winter months, each of the local neighborhood response teams can plan out a more thorough recover and rebuild plan of action. Those properties that can definitely be rebuilt can be organized for full construction activity in the Spring of 2009. A Neighborhood Finance Authority can be set up to administer a local financial structure for this economic recovery by making loans or grants for each property owner to reclaim their beloved homes.
We have been informed that up to $50 million in Federal Funds are available for affordable housing. The neighborhood based, sustainable housing reclamation method being organized by Rebuild and Grow keeps the community strength of individual family home ownership, rather than relegating flood survivors to second class status as renters in low income housing or trailer parks. Home ownership is a key to economic recovery and a stable, safe city.
Rebuild and Grow engaged in planning with the Iowa Association of Architects Iowa State University Architecture Faculty, and innovative green builders to plan out housing green retrofit and sustainable neighborhood based home building. We can retrofit flooded homes and do infill energy efficient homes. We need to restore 5,000 homes to safe and permanent use.
Rebuild and Grow has formed working alliances with the most innovative and effective green building organizations in the nation. These organizations have already carried out effective neighborhood recovery/rebuild projects in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Hurricane zones.
By restoring and building affordable housing in the inner core neighborhoods of Cedar Rapids that were flooded, we the demonstrate “green” sustainable, SMART GROWTH policy already enacted by the Cedar Rapids City government. Make Smart Growth work, now.
In the Early Spring of 2009, our emergency volunteer youth corps will be called back out;
* The Broom Crew will pass down streets and sidewalks, cleaning with push brooms.
* Lawn and Garden and Sidewalk Crews plant flowers in yards and City right of way.
We replace the despair of disaster with the hope and strength of recovery.
* Red Cross and Salvation army trucks follow with a food and water truck.
At the end of one block project, every Block Brigade stops work at 5 pm and we celebrate with a block party. Cedar Rapids will learn how to celebrate life with the spirit of New Orleans! Rebuild and Grow has the commitment of NOLA artists, musicians and chefs ready engage with Cedar Rapids as Sister City for this purpose.
In the Late Spring of 2009, our emergency volunteer youth corps will be back out to plant a
“Victory Garden” in the yard of every home owner, church, school or neigborhood group that wants to build local economic self-sufficiency as we recover from this devastating flood. Most flooded families are low income and or elderly, so this is an important part of economic recovery and community strength.
At the end of one block, every Block Brigade stops work at 5 pm and we celebrate with a block party. We will work hard and play hard as a caring community.
We have all experienced a disaster. Now we can choose to be pitiful or powerful. The self-help method outlined above gives each homeowner, each neighborhood and our entire city a way to rise back up with dignity and respect and power. We cannot go into winter with our streets filled with garbage, debris and weeds. We need these “Block Brigades” to lift our morale and grow the greatness that Cedar Rapids can claim. The entire nation is watching what we do. I request a formal response to this urgent proposal in writing from City Council.
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For information, call Rebuild and Grow co-directors, Michael and Lynette Richards at 319-213-2051. You can call to volunteer in our new office in the Oakhill Jackson Neighborhood.
Rebuild and Grow is an affiliate of Beacon of Hope/New Orleans
Organizing Office; 1132 Ninth St. S.E. (Oakhill -Jackson Neighborhood) CR, Iowa 52401
You can sign on to the open source/interactive website for REBUILD and GROW
www.RebuildAndGrow.org
We have a ten page report on what we learned during our intensive training and internship with Neighborhood Self-Help Disaster Recovery Groups in New Orleans; send a request for this comprehensive report by e mail to; floodsurvivor@aol.com
The City Council and Mayor will respond to this formal petition below in writing this week. Anyone can send your comments or support for this citizen petition by e mail to the Mayor and Council members at this link;
http://www.cedar-rapids.org/ov…
You can write letters to the editor at the Cedar Rapids Gazette at;
editorial@gazettecommunications.com