A and W Root Beer in CR struggles to recover

Doug Ward drives through a subdivision made up of rows of trailers. You can hear the sadness in his voice as he says, “This just doesn’t feel like home.” He longs for the life he lived before devastating floods destroyed his Cedar Rapids neighborhood.

“I want to come back. I miss (my friends) very much,” Ward said as he escorted CNN on a tour of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, nearly a year after the floods.

Ward, 64, is an institution in the historic Time Check neighborhood just across the Cedar River from downtown. He owns the A&W Drive-In on Ellis Boulevard, a fixture on this street since 1948.

Historian Mark Stoffer Hunter calls the drive-in Cedar Rapids’ “Eiffel Tower.”

“It’s been there for us over the decades,” Hunter said. “It’s one of those landmarks that tells you you’re in Cedar Rapids.”

When floodwaters ravaged Cedar Rapids last June, Ward’s drive-in drowned in almost 10 feet of water. Now, the drive-in sits in ruins. A&W root beer mugs covered in dried mud sit on the restaurant floor. The stench of floodwater lingers in the air.

Putting together the pieces of Ward’s life hit a snag in the fall of 2008 when an economic storm swept across the country. In a matter of months, the financial support Ward needed to rebuild dried up.

“Life’s got to go on. If you sit and worry about it too much, you’d probably be at my funeral today,” Ward said.

Ward estimates that it will cost close to $1 million to rebuild the A&W Drive-In at its current location. He’s been able to line up $350,000 in loans, but that’s far short of what he needs.

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Story Highlights
- The A&W in Cedar Rapids was Doug Ward’s life for 30 years until last year’s flood
- Almost a year later, the drive-in sits in ruins, the root beer mugs still muddied
- The drive-in has been a landmark in the Time Check neighborhood since 1948
- It will cost upward of $1 million to rebuild or change locations

Cedar Rapids Flood Story

The Flood of 2008 forever changed Cedar Rapids. When the Cedar River crested, it extended well beyond the 500-year floodplain and covered more than 10 square miles of the city. A year later, thousands of residents are still struggling to rebuild.

While Iowans are known for strength and resilience, the people of Cedar Rapids can only do so much on their own and are left behind by a federal disaster funding system that some say is broken. This is not the first national disaster, and it won’t be the last.

Right now in Cedar Rapids (Palo is a prime example), entire neighborhoods sit empty and rotting. Businesses struggling to rebuild also fight to survive. The state of the economy is not helping the situation either.

The committee, the Cedar Rapids Public Relations (CRPR) group, began meeting February 2009 on a volunteer basis to help address one of the primary post-flood communication challenges. Committee members have spent countless volunteer hours creating a communitywide flood message, listing viable story leads, designing an interactive website, producing a collaborative video and crafting a compelling media kit.

Today marks the official launch of Cedar Rapids Flood Story, a website designed as a way to get out the word about Cedar Rapids. The flood stories are stories that need to be told. When significant destruction hits a vibrant and productive community, every American should care.

Rebuild Iowa

Iowans experienced one of the most devastating series of natural disasters in our state’s history. Now, in true Iowa spirit, it’s time to rebuild.

The Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) was established by Governor Chet Culver to coordinate the state-wide recovery effort after the historic floods, tornadoes and severe weather of 2008. The RIO works with all local, state and federal recovery partners to encourage cooperation and communication toward a holistic recovery approach and to ensure a successful recovery for Iowa.

The RIO, headed by Lt. Governor Patty Judge, is a state agency, with legal authority granted to it by the Governor in his June 27, 2008, Executive Order 7. The mission of the RIO is to ensure that the State of Iowa rebuilds safer, stronger and smarter than before from the catastrophic flooding and severe storms of 2008.

To help the state work towards a full recovery, the Rebuild Iowa Office is engaged in many diverse activities including the following:

• Community and Regional Recovery Planning
• Disaster Recovery Case Management Coordination
• Housing, Economic, Infrastructure and Environmental Recovery
• Communications and Constituent Services

Throughout its initiatives, the RIO is committed to a recovery and rebuilding process that is fair and equitable to everyone.

Visit the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) online: Website | Facebook |  LinkedIn |  Twitter

Contact the Office:
502 E. Ninth St.
Wallace Building
Second Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: (515) 242-5004
Fax: (515) 242-5006
contact@rio.iowa.gov

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