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Homeowner Stories

Rebuild Story by Erica Zito and Melisa BW
Landlords owned more than 50 percent of the housing affected by June’s flood, and this loss has been devastating to the pool of affordable housing in our community.

“There wasn’t much help for landlords,” according to Terry Miller, a local man who owns two duplexes with his wife, …….

After the flood, the Millers worked 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, to get their properties back in shape. A retired couple in their 60s, both lost weight from the work and stress.

“Everything looked just as bad,” Terry said. “I lifted my hands to the Lord and asked, ‘Lord, what are you doing?’ It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. You hit your limits sometimes. It’s overwhelming.”

Then Terry met Curt Liscum, the Project Manager for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Whenever he had an abundance of volunteers, some came and helped this Christ centered family.

“My wife and I are tough,” Terry said. “But in the end we realized we needed help.”

As Terry told his story, he took a break to regain his composure. “My wife and I both got choked up,” Terry said. “I’m getting choked up now. That’s how much you all mean to us.”

With Curt’s supervision, UMCOR volunteers tore out plaster, floors, and insulation. They scrubbed walls, scraped, and painted. They put in floors, installed doors, trimmed out windows, and did yard work.

The Millers are currently two months away from renting to tenants in one property, and a few more months away from renting to tenants in the other. One of their tenants lived in that space for 28 years.

“We’ve met a lot of wonderful people and have grown spiritually,” said Terry. “In America, we tend to be self-centered. But we’ve been shown over and over that it’s all about the Lord.”

Flood Recovery Story by Erica Zito and Melisa BW
     The June flood destroyed Robin’s two-bedroom cottage in Czech town when her first floor took on 38 inches of water.
     “Even my picnic table jumped the fence and floated away,’ she said.
     But thanks to countless hours of volunteer labor coordinated by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Robin will move back in her home at the beginning of April.      “There’s no way I would have been able to redo my house with the FEMA money without all the volunteer labor,” Robin said. “They’ve done everything. My house is beautiful.”
     Immediately after the flood, Robin stayed with her sister in Swisher for three months. She mucked and gutted the house herself. “I didn’t have any problem gutting it,” she said. “I was so mad!”
     She moved into a FEMA trailer at the beginning of October.      “I adore my sister, as she does me, but God doesn’t mean for us to live together,” she said, chuckling.      Robin praised Project Manger Curt Liscum for his time and patience with rebuilding her home. “Curt is a wonderful man,” she said. “He handled everything. I’m not a boss person. I don’t like to ask for anything.”      She especially liked the fact that Curt gave her the opportunity to choose her cabinets, countertops, and more.      “I got a black sink,” she said, “Which is so cool!” Robin also had volunteers install a shower, instead of a bathtub because she is getting older and will be less able to get in and out of a tub.
     “The volunteers were so sweet,” she said of the teams from across the country, including Michigan and Upstate New York. “They even pulled weeds up in front of my house.
     “I will be forever indebted.”

The Flood Recovery Office matched Larry with a church in Illinois, who donated $10,000 and 23 full days of labor to complete his house. This began in January, when Larry has really sick. Pastor Phil from Saint Paul’s UMC was his case manager.

Two weeks ago, Larry moved back in.

“If it wasn’t for the volunteers and Pastor Phil, I’d be back in my camper,” he said. Volunteers started with a shell of a house, and with hard work, patience, money, and love, turned it into a home. “They did a real fine job,” Larry said. “Everything is perfect. Everything is beautiful. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”
Larry was recently in the hospital, but when he gets better, he said he wants to volunteer to help other flood-affected homeowners. “God has been smiling on me,” he said.

By Erica Zito and Rev. Melisa Bracht-Wagner

Larry’s Rebuild Story by Erica Zito and Melisa BW
After his home on the Northwest side of Cedar Rapids was flooded in June, Larry bought a camper to live in. He shared the small space with other displaced friends and lived there until the weather turned cold in November. Then, he rented an apartment. But Larry again let friends who had been flooded move in with him. This time it violated a lease and risked his own housing.

The Flood Recovery Office matched Larry with a church in Illinois, who donated $10,000 and 23 full days of labor to complete his house. This began in January, when Larry has really sick. Pastor Phil from Saint Paul’s UMC was his case manager.
Two weeks ago, Larry moved back in.

“If it wasn’t for the volunteers and Pastor Phil, I’d be back in my camper,” he said. Volunteers started with a shell of a house, and with hard work, patience, money, and love, turned it into a home. “They did a real fine job,” Larry said. “Everything is perfect. Everything is beautiful. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”

Larry was recently in the hospital, but when he gets better, he said he wants to volunteer to help other flood-affected homeowners. “God has been smiling on me,” he said.

Marcella’s Story
One Homeowner we assisted with a “honey do list” was contacted today as a follow-up. This is what she reported to Erica, the Catholic Charities employee that works with us. She went on and on about the wonderful volunteers who helped out. "They boosted me and got me going." She also went on and on about some man named Curt. She was VERY appreciative. She said she had been calling everywhere for help for months. She's been in her home about 2 weeks, and she said last week's help was overwhelming.
Curt is our Project Manager that keeps the teams on track and orders the materials. He is working Full Time for us, as he took a leave of absence from his job.

JoEllen’s Story
JoEllen, a widow, is raising twins with autism. She lost her home in Pennsylvania to a tornado in 1985. And she was displaced from her tri-level Palo home due to the June 2008 flood.

“People say ‘God won’t give you more than you can handle,’” she said. “I didn’t believe that. Then your volunteers showed up. And I knew I could keep going.”

The flood destroyed the bottom floor of her home, which included the living room, laundry room, and a bedroom.

“I had moved everything up on the first floor, thinking it would be fine,” she said. But the water rose, knocking over chairs and destroying the kitchen appliances and lower cabinets.

“I never dreamed the river would get where it did,” she said.

For seven weeks, the kids stayed with friends in Pennsylvania, and she lived with a friend in Marion. She worked day and night to restore a sense of normalcy to the home for her children.

When they moved back in, JoEllen used a microwave and gas grill to prepare meals, and washed dishes on the picnic table until about October. “When volunteers put in the kitchen, I was able to have a sink!”

Today, JoEllen’s home is close to completion, thanks to the work of volunteers.

“We wouldn’t be where we are without them,” she said. She added that the emotional support of the volunteers has also been helpful.

“My living room was built with love,” she said. “ I want volunteers to know how much we appreciate them.”

SanDee’s Story
SanDee husband died three years ago, knowing that he left her very well provided for – the house she has lived in for 40 years was paid for. Then the June 2008 flood hit.

SanDee is currently living in a FEMA trailer in Summit View in NW Cedar Rapids. Volunteers coordinated through UMCOR have been working on her home since November. Her house has been transformed from gutted walls to move in ready..

“They have been fantastic,” SanDee said of the volunteers from Connecticut, the Quad Cities, and the youth group from First United Methodist in Marion.

One group, in particular, touched her heart. They worked on her house during the week that would have been SanDee and her husband’s 47th wedding anniversary. The volunteers took up a collection, bought, and installed a microwave above her stove and flowers. The group not only worked an entire week on her house, she said, they went the extra mile and made a special contribution to her home.