Browse Items (17 total)

David Plowden has published twenty-two books capturing myriad aspects of America and the Midwest over a career spanning more than fifty years. A former University of Iowa professor, Plowden?s works are held in the permanent collections of major…

Civil and environmental engineer Africa Espina and a friend rode a canoe to her flooded home in Mosquito Flats on June 14, 2008. Inside, they found several feet of water, but had thankfully been able to elevate most belongings off the floor before…

Sanja and Maya Hunt, owners of Every Bloomin? Thing Flower Shop in Coralville, discuss the flood?s impact on their livelihood. The pair offer interesting comparisons between the 2008 flood and the national economic recession that followed suit,…

University of Iowa Hydroscience and Engineering Professor Witold Krajewski says the 2008 flood reminded him that ?a flood is much more than dots on paper,? as so many experts are accustomed to encountering them. Though his offices in the hydroscience…

Former UI President Willard ?Sandy? Boyd describes his flood experience, noting how most of the bridges and major highways around Iowa City shut down during the flood, effectively cutting some residents off from the rest of the community. He also…

Mosquito Flats resident Joye McKusick describes how she and her husband were evacuated from their home only return to a severely damaged structure several months later. Joye decided to repair and rebuild, and lives just yards from the Iowa River…

Homeowner Lyda Brown offers a fascinating perspective on the flood and the neighborhood buyout process. Many people believe residential construction should be banned within the Iowa River floodplain. Giving a very personal side of this often public…

Hear Tom Bender describe how over eighty volunteers attempted to save the two buildings he leased in Iowa City. He describes how many tenants refused to believe the flood would happen, let alone prove as devastating as it did. Their skepticism, he…

Iowa City Community Development Coordinator Steve Long describes the ?hard and hot work? of sandbagging to protect Iowa City neighborhoods during the flood. More than anything else, he remembers an overwhelming sense of community cooperation. He also…

One of Doug Ongie?s first tasks as an Iowa City Community Development Planner was to assist in flood recovery and buyout programs. He had completed graduate school at the University of Iowa shortly before, and describes the buyout process in great…