Strike teams clear the way for residents to return

CEDAR RAPIDS - Strike teams searched flood fringe areas on both sides of the Cedar River on Sunday, finding flooded basements, collapsed walls and piles of debris.

But, as of 3:30 p.m., Cedar Rapids Fire Capt. Dan Dall was not aware of any new victims.

"A lot of structural damage in some areas," he said.

Each strike team consisted of six or seven people, including police, firefighters, utilities workers, and city employees. Dall said they were checking for safety issues, including gas leaks, structural integrity, hazardous materials and air quality.

If it was safe, the home was considered "cleared" and a green sticker was placed on the door.

"The main objective is for citizens to get back into their residences," said Dall, a search manager with Iowa Task Force One during the flood recovery effort.

"To be honest, we may come across some people that didn't have relatives and lived alone. You never know what you're going to find."

The teams operated in 10 sectors on both sides of the river and relayed information back to command centers at Roosevelt and McKinley Middle Schools. About 390 residences are in each sector.

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Yeah seems about right to me.