As floodwaters continued to recede [in Cedar Rapids], hundreds of frustrated residents waited for hours Sunday afternoon to get a brief look at their flood-damaged homes.
Tempers flared.
"Why did they tell us to come out here at noon?" Sarah Franks shouted at a police officer Sunday afternoon. Then she broke into tears. "My house is just sitting there, and I want to see it."
City officials had said they would allow residents to briefly check on their homes, but only after the homes had been inspected for safety. Checkpoints were installed so authorities could check identifications.
Lines stretched for blocks at security checkpoints for 10 areas.
About 300 people waited at a checkpoint near the Czech Village neighborhood on the city's southwest side.
"It's going to be a slow-moving process," police Lt. Tobey Harrison told members of a crowd. They peppered him with questions.
At 2 p.m., word spread that it might require another three hours before the visits would begin. Some people had been waiting since noon.
"They had really good control of things until today," said William Wims, who left one checkpoint with his wife, Victoria. "They kind of dropped the ball."
I don't understand all these people who want to go into their flood-ravaged homes and who then get all angry about it when there are delays.
Nothing is salvageable. Nothing is left.
You're not going to be able to unlock the door, go the fridge, have a beer, turn on the TV, and sit on the sofa anymore.
You really don't want to be in there.
Call the insurance company (if you have any insurance), and find another place to live. Go fill out all the FEMA paperwork. Maybe your house can be restored several months later.
It's sad that there is such an importance on "seeing" a flood-ravaged home. The media is always tagging along, waiting to exploit emotion.
And if the local authorities err on the side of safety or caution, they always get shit on by the public. That's how you eventually end up with racist assholes like Barack Obama's preacher, Jeremiah Wright, running around saying that the US government created HIV and AIDS as a way of committing genocide against black people.
It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! Dick Cheney and Halliburton are dynamiting the levees! The Bildebergers want the land, tax-free, so ADM can install another ethanol plant which will use only illegal Mexican labor. It's the Joozes, I'm sure of it!!!!!!
4 comments:
Heirlooms and keepsakes. You have to move fast to prevent mold damage. The electronics, textiles, furniture, etc are trashed, and the buildings might be destroyed, but they're hoping they can find a couple of negatives of their weddings or kids or whatever to cling to.
It's tragic, but it's understandable.
Radish..please..give me a friggin break. After sitting in 8-10 ft of rancid floodwaters, full of fecal matter, gasoline, and other hazardous chemicals for days...you're not going to be able to save much of anything.
Besides that..if they had let people in there willy nilly..what would people have said if someone would have gotten hurt..or even killed in a house that was unsafe?
They'd be screaming for people's heads from the Governor on down..
Its a classic "dammed if you do, dammed if you don't" situation...
Its only going to be a matter of time before you see politicians like Harkin/Loebsack/Braley start blaming George W. Bush and Republicans for causing global warming that resulted in the floods...
"Radish..please..give me a friggin break. After sitting in 8-10 ft of rancid floodwaters, full of fecal matter, gasoline, and other hazardous chemicals for days...you're not going to be able to save much of anything."
Oh bull.
What about the people with two-story houses? What about the people with stuff in the attic?
That's completely ignoring the fact that these people have full right to enter their property. The government has no business keeping them out.
Ok..lets say you got stuff in the attic...If your foundation has walls caved in..your house is completely unsafe for anyone to enter.
No matter how quickly you move back into many of these residences..the damage is going to be irreversible.
Rob, ensuring public safety is the FIRST responsibility of government.
As I stated earlier..if Cedar Rapids officials had just let people go back to their homes..without fully ensuring the safety to do..would have likely been a recipe for disaster.
If someone had gotten hurt or even killed after going into an unsafe house or area...you can be DAMN sure that you would have never heard the end of it from people and politicians alike.
Stuff can be replaced..lives can't. Houses can be fixed or rebuilt--people can't.
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