Aftermath

Sara, from my dental class, owns a home in one of the worst hit neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids. She and her husband had just bought the home and moved in around April. As a class, we organized yesterday to help her gut the place. In order for city officials to evaluate the integrity of the supporting structure, everything, and I mean everything, has to be stripped down to the basic framework. Fortunately, the water level crested about 1 inch from the top floor, thereby preserving most of their belongings that they'd moved to that floor. Having spent a day in the home, having felt the softness of the rotting wood, and the accompanying stench, I don't have much hope for the home being salvageable. Maybe the foundation could be rebuilt on. Then again, who would want to? I certainly wouldn't reinvest money into a home in a completely destroyed neighborhood. Their property value has got to be next to nothing at the moment. Though I didn't get a picture of it, Sara's garage/shed is smashed into a tree 7 houses down.





Of the group that went to help, my friend Mark and I were the only ones tall enough to effective reach the ceiling. That part of the demolition became our job. Panting through a face mast from exhaustion in a molding, stifling, rotting house; I have serious respect for those that are doing this work every day. As for myself, I'll be sore for a few.