CEDAR FALLS - The City Council acted Monday to make it easier to set up temporary trailers on private lots belonging to flood victims.

City staff had recommended Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers be set well above flood plain elevations to ensure they would not be flooded if the Cedar River once again exceeded its banks.

"In light of our recent flood event we felt it was only prudent to ensure the units be placed at a safe elevation," said City Planner Marty Ryan.

The request came as staff members noticed the first such trailers had been set up and measured 31 inches to the ground. Staff members said they assumed the trailers would be about 5 1/2 feet off the ground.

FEMA had recommended the smaller Park model trailers not be elevated beyond their normal installation height because the smaller trailers on private property were meant to be removed in an emergency.

"They were designed for quick egress in a flood situation," said Doug Huddleston of FEMA.

Huddleston said raising the trailers further would require additional blocks, and those blocks take time to tear down. That additional work would take away from their ability to move the trailers quickly if a flood came back to the Cedar Valley.

The council eventually decided to go with the FEMA recommendation.

Councilman Tom Hagarty said the trailers would only be here for 18 months and recommended the move to allow the lower height.

"I think we've been a model city for cutting through the red tape. I have talked to nearly all of these that have requested a release of the rules and they just want to get in as soon as possible and continue work on their homes," Hagarty said.

Most of the 55 FEMA trailers in Black Hawk County are a larger variety that are placed only in mobile home parks. Some of the smaller trailers have been allowed on private lots in Cedar Falls for property owners rebuilding or repairing their flood-damaged homes.

FEMA will be responsible for removing the trailers if another flood were to strike. They will also be responsible for removing the trailers when they are no longer needed.

Contact Jon Ericson

at (319) 291-1461 or

jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com.