During the spring of 2008 Cedar Rapids, IA experienced unprecedented flooding that affected over 5,000 homes, forever changing the look and feel of the town. In response, HODR setup a 4 month project to help homeowners deal with the immediate aftermath by coordinating volunteers to help clean out homes of destroyed belongings. During our project we also helped homeowners do home rebuild/refurbish work, providing the skilled labor required to hang and finish drywall as well as other skilled tasks.
Fast forward almost two years and HODR returned for a concentrated rebuild effort during the month of April, 2010. Working through local organizations Block by Block and The Community Recovery Center, HODR was able to plug into existing rebuilding efforts, which allowed us to maximize our time on the ground. During the course of our project we saw a lot of familiar faces return to lend their skills to help get families back in their homes.
“Move that Bus…”
Over the course of the 17-day project, we coordinated 39 volunteers who worked 1,209 hours and completed work on 13 homes. The estimated value of the volunteers’ donated labor is $23,321.61. Thanks to the skills of the volunteers, we were able to have a significant impact by engaging in work on a range of projects, from framing up houses to final touches like painting…truly spanning the spectrum of rebuilding activities.
Partners in Rebuild
HODR is extended its impact beyond the work we completed directly on homes by underwriting the costs of materials for work to continue on 12 additional homes. Thanks to grants from the Greater Cedar Rapids Foundation, Aegon Insurance and The Homebuilder’s Association, HODR was been able to fund the material purchases for homes that qualify as having outstanding needs through ‘Block by Block.’ HODR is excited to have been able to help support the work of a great local organization dedicated to preserving and rebuilding neighborhoods affected by the flooding, and to support these additional families in need.
Helping Hands
Of course none of this would’ve been possible without help from our home away from home—The Cedar Hills Community Church and Pat Garwood. This combination of support has been the cornerstone of our operations in Cedar Rapids from the beginning. The church always has their doors open and Pat is always ready to feed our volunteers—we thank you both for your continued support and are lucky to have you as part of the HODR family. I’d also like to thank HODR alumn, Ted Hanno who stepped into a Project Coordinator role—his skill, attitude and general good nature were a tremendous asset to the project.
Looking ahead
HODR’s primary role in disaster response has been to provide interim, spontaneous volunteer coordination, getting volunteers into affected communities to do the work that needs to be done. Our work on this project has opened the door to the possibility of extending HODR’s operational capacity to see communities through the initial response phase and to aid in longer term recovery. While no plans for additional rebuilding projects are in the works at this time, this has proven our ability to be effective in long term recovery.
Making future rebuild projects a reality depends on you—our volunteers. If you have construction experience and are interested in lending your time to become more involved, please email Tom at info@HODR.org so that we can contact you in preparation for potential rebuild projects in the future.
-Jeremey Horan
Project Director
Project Cedar Rapids Rebuild
Hands On Disaster Response
After 1,261 schools were destroyed and 2,530 were badly damaged in the 12 January 2010 earthquake, schools in Leogane were unable to operate for three months, depriving children not only of the opportunity for education but also of a sense of normalcy and structured routine. Over the past few months NGOs have worked together to supply tents and tarps for emergency classrooms, but the need still far exceeds current materials and plans.
We were on rubble site called Ferdinand. The home was approx 40′ long by 20′ wide. The earthquake left the house in shambles. It totally collapsed except for one corner where the roof was leaning on a pillar. The roof was approx 9″ thick, reinforced with a web of rebar inside. Our crew took on the challenge of getting the roof down safely so we could remove the rubble off site. Armed with sunscreen, three sledge hammers, three wheelbarrows, and five shovels, fifteen of us busted down a 1500+ square foot roof in less than 7 hours. I had never seen such a display of passion and strength in a group of people. We kept pumping each other up and
challenging one another to work even harder. As each person took turns on the sledge, the bond got stronger. The men and women left it all out there. I have seen a lot in my life but never a better display of character than our team showed that day. 
During the summer of 2008 HODR set up a project in response to the unprecedented flooding that affected more than 5000 homes in the greater Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Our work focused on responding to the immediate needs of the community by providing them with teams of volunteers to help clean out flood-affected homes. Throughout the course of the project we coordinated over 2000 volunteers and worked on 400+ homes, benefiting hundreds of families. As the project progressed HODR moved into rebuild activities, helping homeowners navigate the permitting process, installing and finishing drywall, and providing mini-grants to cover shortfalls in rebuilding materials to get families one step closer to returning home.
Project Cedar Rapids – Rebuild is HODR’s first-ever “planned” response, as opposed to an immediate disaster response project. In addition to partnerships with local organizations, we are very grateful to have the support of the 
