Josie Taylor | October 25, 2021

Cedar Rapids leaders recently presented plans to put millions of federal dollars toward the city’s ongoing flood control plans. The extra resources will be targeted at the west side.

The city has plans for a large flood control system along the Cedar River. This is a response to the 2008 flood that caused $6 billion in damage on downtown businesses and neighborhoods on the westside of Cedar Rapids. 

A smaller but still serious flood in 2016 — which reached 22 feet, compared to 31 in 2008 — was a reminder of the need for a flood control system.

This round of federal funding is specifically intended to benefit vulnerable communities who were most severely impacted by the pandemic and to promote community resilience. Cedar Rapids’ use of more than $10 million for west side flood protection is this kind of mission. 

Residents in flood-impacted areas are more likely to be impoverished, elderly, disabled, renters and in women-headed households. They are the kinds of people who historically in the United States have not been well served by city planning, housing and infrastructure policy. Creating a flood plan that targets the west side would be a way for city officials to correct national injustices in their city.