Journal of Property Management

gather what was most needed from the hot, stinky building. Perhaps because the company was so accommodating, it lost none of its tenants after the floods.

preparinG for next tiMe

Property managers know they always have to be ready for anything. Anderson underlines this truth, calling the 2008 events a “500-year-flood.” This means that there is a 1-in- 500 chance of that kind of flood occurring in any particular year, Anderson said, not that it can happen only once every 500 years. For instance, there was similar flooding just 16 years ago in 1993.

These unlikely events have influenced a number of new initiatives, both public and private.

Property managers are learning more about flood insurance, which can offer some protection. Property owners who had FEMA flood insurance were covered in 2008, said Alan Dooley, public affairs officer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District.

“If your private property insurance doesn’t specifically cover you for flooding, you may find that damages are not compensated,” Dooley said.

The flooding has also caused the states involved to work more closely with the federal government. Together they are looking at structural alternatives that would protect against this level of flooding, and non-structural alternatives such as allowing rivers to have floodplains that are free of houses and businesses.

“We hope the flood on the upper Mississippi in 2008 will encourage a comprehensive flood protection program that would bring the river levees that qualify for such improvement up to a 500-year protection level,” Anderson said.

Proactive managers also know the importance of talking to local officials about proposed governmental flood prevention projects. With the alleviation of future disasters in mind, Chapman met with Cedar Rapids representatives to talk about temporary barriers the city has purchased for future floods. She also discussed further ways of protecting her building.

“It may take 10 years to have permanent flood mitigation,” Chapman said. “Meanwhile, we need to know how to handle future flood situations.” n

river water in iowa threatens to flood a residential street.

In Des Moines as flood waters rose, Bergman called the owners of Buzzard Billy’s restaurant—a lower-level tenant in a seven-story commercial office building he manages. He told them to remove as much of their property as possible. Soon after the tenants finished their work, the facility was inundated with 10 feet of sewer water. Items left behind were completely destroyed.

Disaster reCovery—
plan anD exeCution

In each Midwest city hit by flooding, the water gradually receded and the cleanup began. At the Irwin Union Bank in Columbus, Ind., water stood three inches deep on the first floor and completely filled the basement. According to pre-flood arrangements, contractors arrived to pump out the water, remove debris, tear up carpeting and drywall, and power wash the floor and walls.

In Des Moines, the gas-powered pumps Capp had put into place prior to the flood were manned and running 24/7 to clear ground water.

In Cedar Rapids, a few days after the flooding, Chapman called her tenants and coordinated a “grab and go” so that they could retrieve their property. Tenants were warned to wear galoshes, carry flashlights and bring boxes. Each had only 15 minutes to