Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts & Challenges of the 2008 Floods
June 2013 marks the fifth anniversary of the epic Eastern Iowa floods of 2008, which caused greater damage to the Iowa and Cedar River watersheds than any other natural disaster in recorded history. The fifth-year anniversary is an excellent opportunity to discuss what has changed as a result of the floods and ongoing policy challenges.
Photo credit: Brian Ray/The Gazette.
Please register above to join us for the symposium. The goals of the symposium are to:
- Generate productive discussions among local leaders, policy makers, residents, and scholars.
- Begin to bridge the gap between rural and urban approaches to water management.
- Identify unresolved water management policies and explore how they might reach resolution.
A related event, Five Years Out: Trouble the Water Curator Talk and Reception, will be held on Thursday, May 30 at Legion Arts in Cedar Rapids. Click here to find out more details about the May 30 curator talk and reception.
These events are part of the Living with Floods 2013 series of events being held statewide to commemorate the anniversary of recent flood events, celebrate progress made towards recovery, and raise awareness of flood mitigation strategies and the interconnectedness of our environment and watersheds. Click here to find out more details about the Living with Floods 2013 series.
This symposium is approved for 6 credits/hours from APA's Certification Maintenance program.
Schedule
May 31, 2013
Welcome remarks to the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods," will be delivered by Peter Damiano, Director, Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, Larry Weber, Director, IIHR–Hydroscience & Engineering, University of Iowa, and Ron Corbett, Mayor, City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They will briefly review the progress that has been made so far in recovery, outline the day’s agenda, and explain the goals of the symposium.
The goals of the symposium are to:
- Generate productive discussions among local leaders, policy makers, residents, and scholars.
- Begin to bridge the gap between rural and urban approaches to water management.
- Identify unresolved water management policies and explore how they might reach resolution.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
The 2008 flood caused tremendous damage to individuals and organizations in Cedar Rapids: citizens, unions, businesses, public agencies, and religious and cultural organizations. In response, the city developed a broad River Corridor Redevelopment Plan. City Manager Pomeranz will provide an overview of progress made to date in implementing the plan, and challenges to the recovery process.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
A report released in 2010 by Iowa public university researchers indicated that climate change was having an impact on Iowa: higher temperatures, agricultural challenges, habitat changes, and public health problems. Over the past five years the state has endured both floods and drought. This session will address the impact of climate change on precipitation and water flow in Iowa from a scientific perspective.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
Since the 2008 floods, state-level public agencies and research institutions in Iowa have developed new approaches to better understanding and managing the state’s watersheds. The technical and political issues are complex, because watersheds contain multiple jurisdictions and connect rural, suburban and urban communities. Speakers will identify key challenges to, as well as promising opportunities for, making measurable progress.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
At the local level in Eastern Iowa, individuals, coalitions, and government agencies have made significant innovations in response to the floods. The speakers will identify innovative policies and practices in which they played a role, and describe the development and implementation of those innovations. They will address the possibilities for encouraging ongoing, adaptive innovation.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
Susan Cutter will discuss the Eastern Iowa flood experience in the context of a recently released national study of disaster resilience during her keynote address. Witek Krajewski, Director, Iowa Flood Center, will introduce Susan Cutter.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
Water management policy links the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and cuts across jurisdictional boundaries. Rural, suburban, and urban communities all have a role to play in improving the quantity of water flowing through a watershed. The speakers will identify realistic opportunities for improving existing, or developing new, water management policies that can protect people and businesses from costly and traumatic disasters in the future.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
The final remarks will capture specific ideas and crosscutting themes from the different panels, and suggest ways for symposium participants to continue to share perspectives and develop solutions.
Click here to view the full schedule for the symposium, "Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods."
Partners
Visual representations of the 2008 floods will be on display throughout the symposium. Visual contributors include: The African American Museum of Iowa; Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity; University of Iowa graduate student Erica Damman; The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation; Matthew 25's Block by Block Program; and United Way of East Central Iowa.
This symposium is sponsored by the University of Iowa's Department of Geography, Digital Studio for Public Humanities, Forkenbrock Series on Public Policy and Housing & Land Use Policy Program at the Public Policy Center, IIHR - Hydroscience & Engineering and Iowa Flood Center, Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and School of Urban & Regional Planning; The Gazette/powered by Iowa SourceMedia Group; and University of Iowa Community Credit Union.