Five Years Out: Ongoing Impacts and Challenges of the 2008 Floods

June 2013 marks the fifth anniversary of the epic Eastern Iowa floods of 2008, which caused greater damage to the Iowa and Cedar River watersheds than any other natural disaster in recorded history. The fifth-year anniversary is an excellent opportunity to discuss what has changed as a result of the floods and ongoing policy challenges.

Please register to join us for the symposium. The goals of the symposium are to:

• Generate productive discussions among local leaders, policy makers, residents, and scholars.


• Begin to bridge the gap between rural and urban approaches to water management.


• Identify unresolved water management policies and explore how they might reach resolution.

We applied for 6 credits from American Planning Association's Certification Maintenance program.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Liz Watson at (319) 335-6817 or elizabeth-m-watson@uiowa.edu.

Visual representations of the 2008 floods will be on display throughout the symposium. Visual contributors include: The African American Museum of Iowa; Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity; University of Iowa graduate student Erica Damman; The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation; Matthew 25's Block by Block Program; and United Way of East Central Iowa.

This symposium is sponsored by the University of Iowa's Department of Geography, Digital Studio for Public Humanities, Forkenbrock Series on Public Policy and Housing & Land Use Policy Program at the Public Policy Center, IIHR - Hydroscience & Engineering and Iowa Flood Center, Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and School of Urban & Regional Planning; The Gazette/powered by Iowa SourceMedia Group; and University of Iowa Community Credit Union.