University of Iowa Experts, Dubuque Officials Improve City’s Flood Resilience One Home at a Time
A one-of-a-kind partnership between the Iowa Flood Center at the
Since 2016, the Bee Branch Healthy Homes Resiliency Program has helped 51 Dubuque households make necessary water damage repairs and renovations to keep families safe and dry during flood events. City officials hope to help a total of 300 homeowners before funding runs out and the program sunsets in 2021.
The program is part of the Iowa Watershed Approach, a multiyear flood-prevention and resilience project largely conceived and developed by the UI's Iowa Flood Center. Flood Center experts leveraged their technical expertise and innovative flood-mitigation approach to help the state secure the
The
"We look at all the challenges a family might encounter to becoming more flood resilient, and that means we look beyond just the physical challenges of flood-proofing a house or rental unit," says
Working to diminish flood damage
In recent years,
Participants receive a five-year, forgivable loan; agree to purchase homeowner insurance and, in some cases, flood insurance; and commit to staying in their homes for a minimum of five years.
"We started taking applications roughly a year ago, and so far we've received 450 inquiries," says Gaul. "Our hope is that we can repair at least 300 of those units over the next three years. We have a waiting list, but it's a good sign that people are hearing about the program and reaching out to take care of repairs that they couldn't do on their own."
UI experts who study flood recovery and resiliency say the approach
"There's a reliance on science and technology to save us from flood disasters," says
The other part of the solution, Tate says, is for local governments and nonprofit organizations to support underserved populations, who often are most affected by disaster to decrease the impacts of severe flooding and to improve their quality of life overall.
"There's a strong rationale for focusing on vulnerable populations as well as a strong moral case for it," says Tate. "In
As a researcher who studies flood-resiliency efforts nationwide, Tate says he's excited to see a city tackling these social dimensions head-on. He's also enthusiastic about the university's role in the project. "The fact that the
Neighbors helping neighbors
The water would seep into the basement after a heavy rain or flooding elsewhere along the
"When the heater stopped working, I was expecting my second child," Noel says. "There was no way that I had
At about that time, Noel received a postcard from the city promoting the Bee Branch Healthy Homes Resiliency Program. Intrigued, she submitted the necessary paperwork to participate and soon learned that her household income and location within the Bee Branch watershed made her eligible to receive a forgivable loan to waterproof her basement and replace and upgrade the broken furnace.
The work on her house was especially important, she says, because her two children have health problems that can be exacerbated by humidity, mold, and mildew.
"Since the work was done, no water comes in the basement, not a drop," says Noel. "I am definitely grateful. Just keeping the basement dry is a huge improvement, and it's made it much safer for my children. It's healthier for all of us."
Across town,
"I replaced the carpeting in the basement three times, and we lost personal belongings worth more than
Through the resiliency program, Keys and his wife received a forgivable loan to waterproof their basement and make improvements to their backyard and alley to prevent rainwater from running into their home. Today, when it starts to rain, Keys, who suffers from numerous health issues, doesn't worry about messy cleanup.
"Now I can actually enjoy my home, and before I couldn't do that because I was always worried about getting the water out," says Keys.
Families and individuals who participate in the
"With every family we do a comprehensive assessment that covers everything from the health of family members to environmental factors such as the presence of mold, mildew and drafts, things like that," Smith says. "Every family situation is a little different, and some of situations are difficult, but I enjoy spending time with families and finding out what their goals are and how we can help them to achieve them."
Using data to improve resiliency
As work continues in the Bee Branch watershed, Tate and UI graduate students will continue to analyze interview data and experiences from Healthy Home participants, as well as Gaul and social services representatives in
"We've really leaned on the Iowa Flood Center at the
Another unique element of the research portion of the
"We have a general understanding of populations that tend to be more vulnerable to floods, but we don't really have a grasp of which circumstances are more important than others," says Tate. "For example, is poverty a more important factor than physical disability or a lack of language proficiency? We have to find out what is the relationship between these things. In
A big factor in the success of the
"The great thing is that we have many partners on this project and many local stakeholders who are very engaged and interested," she says. "We're really hoping that these relationships will continue to strengthen and grow so that together we can continue to do good work in our
Flooding in
The city of
In 2013, city officials received
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