US Bank Flood Recovery

The floods of June 2008 in Cedar Rapids damaged 3 properties of US Bank, including their Main Bank downtown, the Motor Bank and Cash Vault facility and the 16th Branch Bank in Czech Village. Initially Knutson was asked to provide assistance with the cleanup and removal of debris; setting up a command center in the parking lot of the Main Bank Downtown; providing portable office containers and trailers; and finding companies with equipment to assist with the loading and hauling of debris. After the initial blow, Property Manager Theresa Chapel said “Knutson provided executive leadership at a time when I was not able and needed it the most."

One of the many challenges encountered was the restoration and reinstallation of the original green marble teller lines and knee walls. They had to be dissembled due to the wood structure supporting them being damaged by flood waters. The marble was mapped, photographed and then removed piece-by-piece and stored on pallets. Putting the pieces back together was one big puzzle. The configuration of the knee walls was changed in the reconstruction to make the main teller floor smaller, which required the pieces to be assembled in way that was different from what they were originally. Upon reopening, customers commented that something was different, but they just couldn’t quite tell what it was. A great compliment to the reconstruction team.