With Iowa City nearly split in two, literally and

metaphorically, those of us most affected by the waters are working to

stitch our lives back together.

The floods that ravaged our city over the last week have left

hundreds homeless, businesses closed, and the rest of the city strained

by an infrastructure in shambles.

As soon as the waters die down, there will be many questions that

need to be asked: Why can’t the Army Corp ad USGS accurately predict the inflow of

water into the reservoir? Why didn’t the city give homeowners the time

they needed to save their belongings? Where was the foresight after a

record snowfall to empty the reservoir at an earlier date? These

questions will be asked, but will there ever be answers?

Until then, all we have are the stories of individuals and groups fighting the floods. Here’s mine.