By Jill Wojciechowski

The muddy waters that earlier this summer poured over the banks of the Cedar River – swallowing 1,300 city blocks in Iowa's second largest city – have long since receded.

The streets and curbs once piled high with water-logged and sludge-covered personal belongings of more than 4,000 families forced to evacuate their Cedar Rapids homes have – for the most part – been cleared.

And, the once raging river that far exceeded the 500-year flood plain when it swelled to nearly 20 feet above flood stage has returned to its usually calm demeanor.

Yet, life will never be quite the same for more than 25,000 people affected by this unprecedented natural disaster in the city that's home to Rockwell Collins' corporate headquarters.

"You wonder how a river – a means of recreation for so many people – can be so violent," said Rockwell Collins Engineering Project Assistant JoEllen Hovind, whose three-bedroom home was destroyed in the flood. "There are so many unanswered questions … I still can't believe this happened to our community."

Beyond catastrophic

Hovind is one of hundreds of Rockwell Collins employees personally affected by the flood, which caused an estimated $1.5 billion in damage to Cedar Rapids, and more than $6 billion in damage throughout the Midwestern states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

More than 2,000 homes in the flood plain – including the one Hovind and her ex-husband, Jim, purchased 16 years ago – likely will never be rebuilt. And, the district of warehouses, offices, and small manufacturers along the riverbank likely will lose many of the 818 businesses that flooded.

"When they say it's catastrophic – that doesn't even begin to describe it," said Hovind, who shared the home with her sons, Justin, 16, and Jared, 13. "Everyone kept saying it was going to be worse than the Flood of 1993 (which crested at nearly eight feet above flood stage), so I was expecting about three feet of water in my basement – not eight feet of water on the main level."

Today, three months after the home on which she had only 10 payments remaining fell victim to Mother Nature, Hovind and her sons are residing in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailer in the adjacent city of Marion.

She has cried more than her share of tears and occasionally wonders how she'll ever land on her feet. And although there are times when she's not sure things could get any worse, Hovind understands she's not alone.

"I'm trying to look at this as an adventure," she said. "We recognized that this house needed work, but it was still our home and we loved it here. However, there are many other families whose situations are far worse than ours."

Photo by Reid Travis, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
An epic flood — Brian Stevens is one of hundreds of Rockwell Collins employees whose home sustained severe damage after the Cedar River poured over its banks, flooding much of downtown Cedar Rapids and surrounding areas. The river crested on June 13 at 31.1 feet, nearly 20 feet above flood stage.

Brian Stevens and his wife, Michelle, also were victims of the flood. The couple and their four children – Rebecca, 6, Rachael, 4, Justin, 2, and Jason, 16 months – were displaced after about four feet of water invaded their ranch-style home in northwest Cedar Rapids.

A material and process engineer in Rockwell Collins Printed Circuits, Stevens stood in disbelief when he returned one week after he and his family were forced to leave the only home they've ever owned.

The once quaint and quiet neighborhood situated five blocks west of the river that grabbed the young couple's attention eight years ago resembled a war zone complete with a stench Stevens isn't sure he'll ever forget.

"We really didn't have any idea about how bad it was going to be until we were able to come back a week later," said Stevens. "The smell was absolutely terrible and everything was covered with this black film and mud. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

Comforted by colleagues

In the midst of personal tragedy, Hovind, Stevens, and many others like them in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Iowa City, and other nearby communities continued to make their way to work at Rockwell Collins.

Once there, they were surrounded by friends and colleagues who lifted their spirits by extending well wishes and offers to assist with recovery efforts.

"It's amazing how tragedy pulls people together," said Christina Berthel, manager of People Programs and Leader Support for our Central Region. "Our employees were asking how they could help before the river even crested."

The Human Resources focal point on our Disaster Recovery Team, Berthel was one of several employees given the task by Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones of determining how our company would respond to the immediate needs of those affected by the disaster, and how we would assist with overall recovery efforts.

"We tried to look at everything from an affected employee's perspective," said Berthel. "We knew we would need to allow them the time they needed to get their lives back in order, and our leaders did a great job of balancing the needs of their employees with the needs of our organization."

Because of our major presence in the community – nearly half of the 20,000 people who work for Rockwell Collins are located in and around Cedar Rapids – our senior leaders also felt the need to provide financial support to our community, and to offer an organized effort for those who wanted to help.

"People need an outlet during times of turmoil," said Berthel. "We knew that allowing our employees to volunteer their time to assist with the recovery effort would help the healing process, and would also help people move beyond the unknown."

Three days after the river crested in Cedar Rapids, Rockwell Collins announced a $2 million contribution to help fund health and human service organizations in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor. In addition, our company also extended offers of assistance in the form of extended paid time off and early Incentive Pay Plan (IPP) payout to victims.

Photo by Reid Travis, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
An uncertain future — JoEllen Hovind, an engineering project assistant at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, looks toward the Cedar River
from the front steps of the home on which she had only 10 payments remaining. Hovind and her two sons are now residing in a Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) trailer in the adjacent city of Marion.

"I always knew I worked for a wonderful company, but this confirmed what a truly great company we really do have," said Hovind, who came on board five years ago. "Rockwell Collins has been unbelievable – the paid time off was such a godsend."

Stevens, who is currently residing with his family in a rental property on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids while his house is being rebuilt almost from the ground up, agrees.

"The way Rockwell Collins responded to the flood tells me that the company really cares about its people," said Stevens, who joined Rockwell Collins nearly 11 years ago. "Nobody required the company to offer early IPP payouts or paid time off; and nobody required the company to allow unaffected employees to help those who were affected. But, those were the things we really needed, and we really appreciate the help.

"It was amazing to have so many people show up – even before the volunteer effort was organized – to help us haul our possessions, which were essentially garbage at that point, out of our home," said Stevens. "To see so many people giving up their time to help … it was unbelievable."

Helping those in need

According to Ron Kirchenbauer, senior vice president of Human Resources, the benefits offered to employees affected by flooding throughout the Midwest was not unlike the offers our company has extended in past years to victims of other natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and wild fires.

For instance, when hurricanes Frances and Jeanne wreaked havoc on Florida about four years ago, several of our employees in Melbourne spent weeks without electricity, food or water. In addition to a corporate donation to the area "Lend A Hand" emergency fund, our company also provided early IPP payouts and paid time off. And, more recently, our company provided assistance to those affected by Tropical Storm Fay.

In December 2004, five days after the massive Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami devastated South and Southeast Asia, our company made an immediate contribution to the American Red Cross International Relief Fund, and established a corporate fund to aid in relief efforts.

And, in the fall of 2003, when wildfires blazed through Southern California forcing the evacuation of many of our employees from their homes, Rockwell Collins made a corporate donation to Operation Firestorm, a fund established to assist wildfire victims.

"These are the things we do to enable our employees to deal with their personal lives when they're affected by disasters that are beyond their control," said Kirchenbauer. "We try to be very consistent with how we treat all of our employees, and what we did in Iowa recently was an extension of what we've been doing in other locations."

In addition to the initial $2 million corporate contribution, Rockwell Collins employees, retirees, friends, customers and suppliers from around the world also donated more than $700,000. This money is now part of the Rockwell Collins Flood Recovery fund, which will provide grants to qualified organizations and agencies that are serving flood victims or were themselves affected by flooding.

"The people of Rockwell Collins have a genuine sense of responsibility and affinity to their communities and to each other," said Kirchenbauer. "The manner in which our employees have responded to the flood recovery efforts is just one example of how we are bringing the first two words of our Vision statement to life – by 'working together' to help the people who need our help."

Photo by Reid Travis, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Working together — More than 1,200 Rockwell Collins employees spent more than 5,000 hours helping to clean up homes and businesses damaged by flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, earlier this summer. Here, Bill O’Neill (middle) and two of his colleagues remove furniture from one of the flooded homes.

Committed to our community

Since the Rockwell Collins organized volunteer effort began on June 24, more than 1,200 employees have spent more than 5,000 hours cleaning up the Cedar Rapids community.

"I've only lived here for four years, but this is my community now, and I wanted to do what I could to help," said Dave Rafson, a material and process engineer who assisted Stevens following the flood and also volunteered with the American Red Cross. "We had no idea what we were walking into. You almost needed to detach yourself emotionally and not think about what you were hauling out."

Although our organized daily volunteer effort has concluded, Kirchenbauer encourages employees to continue volunteering in any way possible.

Local officials estimate it will take about 10 years to rebuild, and Kirchenbauer says our company has made a long-term investment and commitment to the community.

"We can be very proud of everything we've done to help this community, but it will take years to recover from a disaster of this magnitude," he said. "Our company will be there for this community through its recovery, and I encourage our people to continue volunteering in the days, months, and years to come."