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"Cedar Rapids Flood Buyout is History" Newspaper Article, September 14, 2014

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Courtesy of The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Smith, Rick, "Cedar Rapids Flood Buyout is History," The Cedar Rapids Gazette, 14 September 2014

Description

This newspaper article from the The Cedar Rapids Gazette in September 2014 details the historic flood buyout that took place after the devastating 2008 flooding. Funds totaling millions of dollars were spent to purchase residential and commercial land owned in the flood zone.

Full Transcript of "Cedar Rapids Flood Buyout is History"

Transcribed Excerpts from "Cedar Rapids Flood Buyout is History"

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Why would a city like Cedar Rapids want to buy out that much land from residents and businesses in this flood zone? How did the city pay for the flood buyout?
  • What were some of the obstacles to purchasing the land from residents and businesses? How did the city of Cedar Rapids handle these obstacles?
  • After reading this article, and using your knowledge from the other sources, how would this type of historic buyout help everyone recover from the 2008 floods, while at the same time, prevent future problems for both residents and the local, state and federal governments?

Citation Information 

Smith, Rick, "Cedar Rapids Flood Buyout is History," The Cedar Rapids Gazette, 14 September 2014. Courtesy of The Cedar Rapids Gazette