Placing flowers in Cedar River therapeutic for officials

One of the most poignant moments of the flood commemoration ceremony held Saturday morning was when the five members of the Cedar Rapids City Council each took a bouquet of flowers and placed them into the Cedar River.

“These flowers, a symbol of hope, represent all that was lost: Homes, belongings, businesses, momentum and dreams — all washed down the river,” said Cassie Willis, communications liaison for the City of Cedar Rapids. “Let this be an act of remembrance and of respect for all that was lost a year ago this week.”

Bouquets of flowers, one for each of Cedar Rapid's five districts, were placed in the now tame Cedar River by city council members.

The flowers, donated by Pierson’s Florist, one of many business that continues to recover from the June 2008 floods, also represented each of the city’s five districts.

“Throwing the bouquets in the river was so very moving, because I think all of us, every member of the community, needs to do it,” said Monica Vernon, who represents the city’s second district. “It brings back all of the struggles and the hopes and the dashed dreams, but it also lets you realize that you do need to just let go of the past in order to build a better future.

“I had been thinking of that moment as just another part of this ceremony, but when you do it and you see those beautiful bouquets in the river that looks so calm today, and we know it was so raging a year ago, there’s some healing in it.”

District four representative Chuck Wieneke was the first to toss flowers into the river, and he did so with incredible force and determination.

“I threw those flowers like I did because I really felt what Cassie said before we began that portion of the ceremony,” said Wieneke, whose district includes the hard-hit Time Check region. “It was throwing the hurt and throwing everything else. I represent people that have been hurting, who have been waiting for a long time. … For me, [throwing those flowers] really was a venting of frustration.”

The frustration felt in Cedar Rapids isn’t just limited to those still waiting for recovery funds, according to Wieneke. The City Council and Linn County Board of Supervisors are also frustrated with the inability of federal disaster assistance to flow to the people who need it.

“While I may understand the bureaucracy and the need, I agree with what Ron [Sims] said, as a victim who had lost everything,” Wieneke said. “If our federal government can give billions of dollars to other people to buy arms and to repair what the previous arms have destroyed, why can’t they immediately give billions of dollars to the victims here? Three billion dollars could help Cedar Rapids recover so much faster.”

As the flowers worked their way down the Cedar River, they first passed a large pile of debris behind the Cedar Rapids Police Department — the first of many along the route. They flowed under bridges, open but still undergoing repairs. No doubt a few of the petals became lodged on the tattered remains of the railroad bridge that served local industry before the flood.

If the bouquets endure the entire journey they will not only view the remaining destruction in Iowa, but that along the Gulf Coast as well.