IOWA CITY - Brad Kaldahl and Sonia Ryang are moving up, not out.

Their home at 701 Normandy Dr. in Iowa City took on more than 5 feet of water last June when the Iowa River, which runs past their backyard, jumped its banks.

They are eligible for a buyout and would have taken one but their flood insurance made it unattractive financially. So the married couple and their two children have been renting elsewhere while their home is raised 8 feet and set on a wooden structure similar in concept to stilts.

“This house is definitely solid, safe and secure,” Kaldahl said.

The family hopes to return by the end of this month.

Much like Kaldahl and his family, many residents and the cities of Iowa City and Coralville and Johnson County continue to recover from the record Iowa River flooding that hit a year ago, while planning for future floods.

Nearly 800 homes and more than 260 businesses were damaged in the flood, according to city and county officials. Damages approached $100 million, they said.

Many more people were affected indirectly, like drivers stuck in the traffic jams caused by so many major roads being closed and businesses that saw sales drop because it was difficult to reach them.

A primary goal of the cities and the county is to get people out of the way of future flooding. Iowa City may acquire up to 39 homes, Johnson County has 17 on its buyout list and Coralville plans to demolish about 45 flood-hit structures.

In most cases, the land will become open space to minimize damage in future flooding. In addition to homes, Iowa City is looking to buy vacant land along the river.

“We’re basically just looking at the map and going up and down the river because we don’t want anything to ever be built on there so we don’t have to go through this again,” said Steve Long, Iowa City’s community development director.

Iowa City also has three big projects it would like to undertake: the elevation of Dubuque Street and Park Road bridge and the relocation of the north wastewater treatment plant. All were affected by the flood, and the work would cost an estimated $95 million.

The city hopes the federal government covers most of the cost, with the city picking up its share with the proceeds of the local-option sales tax voters approved in May.

Coralville has identified $54 million in flood-related projects, including raising the railroad behind Highway 6 and installing new storm water pump stations, berms and flood walls.

But voters there rejected the sales tax. The city will seek federal and state funding, but many programs require local matches ranging up to 50 percent of a project’s cost. City officials have said they may raise property taxes to get the money.

“We’ve got great plans, and we think that they will really work,” City Administrator Kelly Hayworth said. “But the question is now, how do we pay for those?”

The damage would have been worse in rural areas if the county hadn’t bought out a number of homes in the floodway after the 1993 flood, Board of Supervisors Chairman Terrence Neuzil said. More buyouts, coupled with the new joint emergency communications center, will help during future flooding, he said.

And Neuzil, like many others, believes it’s only a matter of time before another major flood hits.

“If we’ve learned anything from this, it’s (that) 1993 was really not that unique,” he said, “and 2008 probably wasn’t either.”

CEDAR RAPIDS - A program will give flood victims free furniture this weekend.

Sauder Furniture donated about 15 hundred pieces of new furniture to the Linn Area Long Term Recovery Coalition.

Flood-affected residents can pick up two pieces of furniture each between 9:00 a.m. and noon Saturday morning at The Cedar Rapids Science Station.

Residents must bring their FEMA number to qualify and pick up the furniture.

“It feels really good and the furniture is very high quality. But there is one catch, residents have to assemble the pieces themselves. So bring your hammer and bring your glue,” said Gail Kaplan with Emergency Disaster Services.

You’ll also need a way to take the furniture home yourself, because there is no delivery available. Organizers strongly urge people bring a truck because the items are heavy and oddly-shaped.

The furniture is available on a first come, first serve basis.

VINTON - All that’s left of 201 East Third street is rubble. Watch The Video

“The house just got done before the flood, brand new roof, fixing this and fixing that, it was just starting to look really nice,” said neighbor Jack Harris.

When the Cedar River poured through Vinton, the water was 5 feet deep around here.

Thursday the city started knocking down 16 flooded homes considered structurally unsound.

The same company that demolished the homes in Cedar Rapids is tearing these down too.

“It’s kind of a weird feeling that you are taking everything that somebody worked so hard for,” said George Heeren with D.W. Zinser.

The homes come down in less than an hour, it takes the rest of the day to clear out the rubble.

One by one, each home will come down, replaced with green space.

“Word is most of the homes on this block will get torn down, and neighbors say it will be weird looking across the street and only seeing this one house,” Harris.

Harris wishes it didn’t have to be this way.

For the last four years, Harris has watched this neighborhood start to come back and look good again.

Then the flood hit.

“I would like to see homes put back in, instead of having parks,” said Harris.

But, that’s not happening, and Harris says it will just take time to adjust.

And 201 East Third Street will just look different.

Email Justin Foss at Justin.Foss@kcrg.com

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids city council will reimburse businesses that had to pay high steam heating costs after the flood.

The flood destroyed Alliant Energy’s downtown steam plant. That caused heating bills to double or even quadruple for some downtown businesses.

On Wednesday night, the council approved using $21-million in federal funds to reimburse some of those costs.

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids city council will reimburse businesses that had to pay high steam heating costs after the flood.

The flood destroyed Alli ant Energy’s downtown steam plant. That caused heating bills to double or even quadruple for some downtown businesses.

Wednesday night, the council approved using $21-million dollars in federal funds to reimburse some of those costs.

ANAMOSA - For the first time since the flood, the Anamosa high school baseball team played on its home field Wednesday night.

Congressman Braley practiced with the team before the game.

The last time Braley visited, the Anamosa baseball field was under ten feet of flood water. As part of the ceremony, the team gave Braley a jersey.

He plans to wear it in the Congressional Baseball Game in Washington next month.

“I’m going to remember the fun I had today and the look on the faces of these young men who couldn’t even play on this field a year ago. The energy and enthusiasm they shared with me today is going to carry me through the game in Washington D.C.,” said Braley.

“For him to wear it in their game is a tremendous honor for us and our kids,” said coach Kevin Barnes.

Before Wednesday’s game, Braley presented the team with an American flag that flew over the U.S. capitol.

CORALVILLE - Coralville plans to spend $300,000 dollars in federal grant money to repair flood damage along the banks of the Iowa River.

The city council approved the move last night. The city will also soon accept bids to remove asbestos from 10 residential buildings scheduled for demolition west of First Avenue and south of Fifth street, add another 12 to the list.

WATERLOO - Last June’s flood took down a Waterloo railroad bridge. But now it’s getting a boost from the federal government for rebuilding.

Union Pacific Railroad says this bridge was a major supply route for John Deere, Tyson, and a few ethanol plants in northeast Iowa.

But the floodwaters broke the center of the bridge, and without it trains in the area have to take a 300 mile detour.

Wednesday, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded a more than $2-million dollar grant for repairs.

Construction should start next month and end in September.

CEDAR RAPIDS - Students at Metro High School in Cedar Rapids plan to give away free treats Thursday to raise some money for flood victims.

The Career Connections class baked up a lot of cinnamon rolls Wednesday morning. The students will pass them out for free Thursday morning in downtown Cedar Rapids.

But there is a catch.

Students hope to sell lots of homemade “flood light” candles with the proceeds going for flood relief.

“We’re trying to make as much as we can. We don’t have a quota for it, we plan to get as much money as possible to help the city,” said student Jeff Ringold.

Students will sell the candles for $6 a piece. The “goodie giveaway” and candle sale takes place Thursday morning from 7:00a.m. - 9:00a.m. at the Armstrong Food Court downtown.