Wipeout: Flood Waters Send Heartland Attendees Scrambling

WATERLOO, Iowa–Many of its expected 1,000 attendees were forced
to evacuate VGM’s Heartland Conference last week as floodwaters
threatened downtown Waterloo, the member services group’s
hometown.

With heavy regional rains, rising rivers and area lift stations’
inability to handle massive amounts of runoff left some visitors
scrambling for safe lodging and transportation. After Waterloo
Mayor Tim Hurley issued a notice to close downtown businesses, the
Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center–the event’s main
venue–and nearby hotels were evacuated.

While some attendees left town Tuesday, said Carolyn Cole, VGM
vice president of corporate communications, “those who stayed
[were] being brought to VGM in big tour buses” as staff members
rebooked flights to get them out of area airports.

Those who couldn’t leave were booked into rooms outside the
downtown area, and, according to Cole, some attendees were even
offered lodging in the homes of VGM staff.

On Wednesday, VGM issued an update on its Web site confirming
that all attendees had been accounted for and that “guests
who were staying in downtown hotels [were] safely transferred to
the main VGM campus.”

The Heartland event, which kicked off Monday night, had been
scheduled to run through Thursday.

”The ironic thing is that Tuesday, as the [Cedar River]
rose dramatically, was one of the most beautiful, sunny and mild
days we’ve had all spring. So many conference-goers wandered down
between sessions to watch history in the making,” said
Cole.

“My husband and I have both lived here for 50-plus years,
and witnessed the horrible floods of the early ’60s that resulted
in our flood control system,” she continued. “Among our
concerns is that more severe weather is forecast with ‘locally
heavy rains’ possible … Much of the state has been declared a
disaster area, and entire counties have been closed to travel. It’s
a nightmare, and will continue through the weekend,” she said
Wednesday.

The area also suffered major flooding in 1993.

“It’s kind of scary,” said Jaime Blomme, executive
administrator for government relations and regulatory affairs for
VGM. “In Cedar Falls, which is right next to Waterloo, their
water levels broke records,” she said.

At least six bridges in Waterloo were closed, and two shelters
were established to aid stranded persons. Across Iowa, nine rivers
were at or above historic levels.

Despite the chaos, Cole said, a Wednesday night gala that had
been planned for the event, the group’s seventh annual conference,
went ahead as scheduled. ATS/ATP training continued at VGM
corporate headquarters, and Heartland’s famous hog roast and
fireworks went on as expected.

“This will certainly be a Heartland Conference to
remember, and we’re already talking about ‘We survived the floods
of 2008 and we’ll be back’ T-shirts,” Cole said. “We
were expecting nearly 1,000 HME providers, manufacturers, speakers
and friends of the industry. We look forward to welcoming them back
next year.”