Flood Timeline

Thursday, July 17 -- The Museum is very optimistic about the future. Electricians visited Friday, July 11 to assess the work that needs to be done; we were delighted to hear that only the receptacles will need to be replaced, not the wiring throughout the building. They began work this week to restore electricity to the building. Only one of our four air conditioning units needs to be replaced; the others only need minor repairs. We were also fortunate in that the elevator car was on the 2nd floor at the time of the flood, so only the bottom part of the shaft needs repair. This means we were spared the cost of replacing the elevator car. We are currently sending out requests for proposals to several contractors for design and installation of the permanent exhibit.

One of the first priorities is to get the Celebration Hall ready for rentals, so that groups who reserved the use of the Hall will have access to it, which means much-needed income for the Museum. Since the furniture on the first floor is no longer useable, we are now looking for good-quality office and banquet furniture, such as desks, office chairs, classroom chairs, banquet tables and chairs, etc.

Program updates:
Journey to Freedom: Experience the Underground Railroad in Iowa is still going to happen! See the Education page of the website for casting call information. You will be able to register to attend one of the performances by contacting Kirkwood Community College's continuing education office at 319-398-5529 or contactce@kirkwood.edu. Numerous performances are scheduled on each of the following dates: September 12, 13, 19 and 20. To volunteer or if you have props or costumes we might be able to use, contact Education Director Erin Thomas at 319-310-4899 or education@blackiowa.org.

Laying Claim to Our Spirit: the African American Museum of Iowa's Women's Leadership Conference is also still on for September. Check conference website for registration information.

Tuesday, July 8 -- Staff completed an inventory of all the dry items; those 1,008 items (55% of the total collection) are currently in storage at the Iowa Masonic Library. Of the 502 archival collections, 405 are dry and also stored at the Masonic Library; the remainder is in Chicago at the Chicago Conservation Center, and can be saved if funding is available. Remaining items were triaged, and will be salvaged over the next few years. If you would like to sponsor an artifact or a collection of items, please contact Development Associate Ben Hoover at 319-929-5575 or or bhoover@blackiowa.org. Donations to help with flood recovery can also be made online.

Workers stripped carpeting, drywall and all fixtures from the first floor of the building to prepare for reconstruction. In an effort to prevent mold problems, any surface that could have been contaminated was thoroughly disinfected, right down to the removal of screws from the metal studs in the walls. Now that the drywall has been removed, the Building Recovery Team has enjoyed "walking through walls". It feels much like it did in 2002 when the building was first erected. Because the upstairs is safe and intact, staff expect to return to work on the second floor of the building as soon as electricity is restored. Due to the sensitive nature of the artifacts, the collection will remain off-site until the building construction is complete.

But you don't have to wait until the building reopens-Museum staff will bring educational programming to you! Just contact Erin Thomas at 319-310-4899 or by email at education@backiowa.org to schedule your workshop or presentation for any age group. Pick your topic, pick your location, and we'll make it happen. In the words of our executive director, our Museum is more than just a building, so let us bring it to you!

Monday, June 23 -- Approximately, 90-95% of the collection has been or can be saved. The curator and a staff of professional conservators have sorted the wet items. Conservators from the preservation department at the University of Iowa libraries joined the team on June 19th to get papers and textiles immediately into freeze-storage. Wet paper and textiles were freeze-dried by a third-party company to halt further deterioration; everything else was washed and moved off-site into temporary storage.

The oversized paper collection and the wood items were hit hardest. Those paper documents considered historically valuable have been salvaged, but the rest of the oversized paper items were lost. Most of the archives were wet but salvageable.

An independent wood conservator from Des Moines volunteered his time and expertise; as did volunteers from Brucemore; the Muscatine Center for History and Industry; paleontology department, hydrology department and natural history museum at the University of Iowa; the preservation department and special collections department at the U of I libraries; Alliant Energy; General Mills; and many other individuals and businesses. The Masonic Library volunteered their time and administrative office space in their building as well.

Though the collapse of the CRANDIC railroad bridge was unfortunate and problematic, it actually saved much of our Museum. Because the side of the bridge that was in the water acted as a partial dam, the strongest parts of the river's current flowed around and away from the Museum. This means that, though there was 5ft of water in the building, it was standing water, as opposed to flowing water. This kept all the windows and doors intact and kept all our important artifacts inside the building.

And though our part-time staff and one full-time staff member have been temporarily laid off, the Museum offered statewide programs within a week of the floods. The building itself is structurally sound and plans are in place to begin rebuilding. We plan to have a temporary exhibit about Buxton, IA opening sometime around Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, June 18 -- Access to downtown Cedar Rapids open again. Museum staff allowed in building. Water inside building rose to 5 ft. Large number of artifacts were dry. All wet paper and textiles removed from building into freezer truck. Many dry items moved out of the building to temporary storage for protection from mold.

Tuesday, June 17 -- Hazmat crews enter the Museum building to assess conditions. They report that the Museum took on approximately 6 ft. of water. Museum staff is hopeful that much of the collection is salvageable. Museum staff were not allowed to enter the building and have not yet been able to assess damages for themselves.

Monday, June 16 -- Museum opens temporary offices.

Friday, June 13 -- Cedar River crests at 1:45 pm at 31.12 ft., 19 ft. OVER flood stage.

Thursday, June 12 -- All access to downtown area is restricted. Cedar River is expected to crest at 31 ft.

Wednesday, June 11 -- Earlier flood predictions surpassed. National Weather Service predicts crest at 24 ft. Museum staff return to building to secure collection items. Artifacts moved to 3 ft. level and some sensitive paper items on loan moved to the second floor (more than adequate for a 24 ft. flood). The Museum and surrounding areas are evacuated. Water enters Museum building. Museum activates disaster plan.

Monday, June 9 -- National Weather Service predicts Cedar River to crest at 21 ft. Museum staff begin moving collection items to 1 ft above floor.