10 Families We Have the Power to Help
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
Captain Bernie
Walther lives in the house where his wife, Jackie, was born. He and Jackie have been married for 20 years. They have 3 children: Ian (age 9) and twins, Grayson and Sydney (age 7). Captain Walther was on vacation when the flood hit. He returned home but left his family so that he could take care of the crippling devastation and spare them the debilitating emotional effects of seeing their home and city submerged in water. When Capt. Walther arrived home, he found that three of his basement walls had collapsed. The possessions in the basement and on the first floor are completely destroyed and the conditions of the house are currently unlivable. Until the family can find a permanent residence, Walther lives in a temporary home within the town of Cedar Rapids and his family lives in a nearby town with Jackie’s parents. Despite being separated from his family in a time of need, Bernie has demonstrated amazing strength in the face of devastation and his efforts to rebuild the city and the morale of City Rapids is truly inspiring.
Officer John McDaniels
Officer John McDaniels lived on Ellis Rd, next to the Cedar River, before the debilitating floods made his home uninhabitable. He lived with his wife Julie and their 12-year-old son Drake. Julie ran a daycare center next door to the home that cared for eight children, the facilities of which have been completely destroyed by the floodwaters and has resulted in $150,000 worth of damage. What’s worse, it is believed that their home may have suffered more damage than the daycare center. Their home was one of the first to be hit by the flood. The water tore through their home Thursday morning at 11 AM and John was back to work Thursday evening. As John explained, “I couldn’t do anything at home so I might as well come to work and help someone else.” While the future of their home is still uncertain and the possibility of rebuilding just a mere dream at the moment, John continues to work selflessly and admirably to help the other victims of the Cedar Rapids flood.
Officer Corey Lentz
Before the floodwaters tore through Cedar Rapids, they demolished the town of Palo first. Palo is also located on the Cedar River and one hundred percent of the residents of Palo were evacuated. Most houses in Palo suffered excessive damage, including the home of Officer Lentz. On Wednesday night, the night before the flood, Corey was fortunate to move most of the belongings on the first floor out of his house but was forced to leave the freezer, washer, dryer, furnace, and TV in the basement. On Thursday morning when the flood hit, the water destroyed the remaining items and the house. Officer Lentz is married to Carissa and they have a 5-year-old daughter named Ellie. Although the family is lucky to have moved out some of their belongings before the flood they are still crippled by the loss of their home.
Officer Rod Schulte
Although the home of Officer Rod Schulte sits on a slight embankment, his home was ravaged by floodwater. In his basement he lost his furnace, carpet, sheet rock, and his children’s toys. Officer Schulte lives with his wife Brooke and their three children, Braden (age 14), Sydney (age 7) and Cal (age 5). The biggest problem they face is that Sydney suffers from Muscular Dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair. Her immobility and health problems only accentuate the effects of the flood. In the aftermath of the flood Officer Schulte takes his daughter to summer camp, comes home to clean, and then returns to work. Although Officer Schulte has proved himself as a brave and courageous police officer in his everyday work and in his efforts after the flood, he finds it difficult to tell his wife that their wedding pictures were lost in the flood.
Marie Brightman
Marie works in the Records room of the Cedar Rapids Police Department. She lives at home with her dog, located across from the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Despite losing everything in her basement to the flood, Marie has been at work constantly. She currently acts as the head of inventory in documenting the department’s losses and was allowed to enter the PD when she was not allowed to enter her own home.
Officer Wayne Handeland
Officer Handeland was working on Wednesday night when his wife, Angie, called to say that they needed to evacuate. Angie and a friend moved everything of importance to them to an upstairs room but lost their furnace, freezer, washer, and dryer to the flood. Their home has sustained immeasurable damage but Officer Handeland continues to work and support others in this time of need.
Officer Jessica Long
Officer Long had just moved out of her home when the flood came. Although she had just moved out she had not yet removed everything from the basement. Her house also suffered water damage to her basement and laundry room and has severely weakened the foundation.
Jean Novak
Jean is an administrative secretary in the Police Department. She is married to Steve who has a repair shop in the downtown area. The floodwater was 10 feet high in the shop. Although they were able to save several belts that were hung high on the wall, they lost everything else to the flood.
Sheryl Daves
Sheryl works in the Records Room of the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Massive amounts of floodwater tore through her home and she lost all her possessions. She has no furniture, no clothing, and no resources. As a single mom, Sheryl is struggling to survive with her children.
Officer Sherry Lester
Officer Lester’s cabin on the Wapsi River was destroyed by floodwater. The rising water left significant damage to the cabin and destroyed all her furnishings.
