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- Duffy's Ark
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- Stephen Grant
A long season of heavy rains has quickly turned 2008 into the year of the floods. Iowa and other Midwestern states have seen record-breaking river levels and watched city after city go under water destroying homes, businesses and displacing families.
For some people, the only places of refuge have been makeshift shelters set up by the Red Cross. Rusty Duffy, his fiance, Jamie Rishard and their the seven-month-old son, Alexander, were taken by surprise when a levee broke and turned their small apartment building into an island. They suddenly found themselves being one of the more than five thousand homeless in the Iowa City and Coralville area. Producer Stephen Grant gives us an inside view of one family's struggles.
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Piece Description
A long season of heavy rains has quickly turned 2008 into the year of the floods. Iowa and other Midwestern states have seen record-breaking river levels and watched city after city go under water destroying homes, businesses and displacing families. For some people, the only places of refuge have been makeshift shelters set up by the Red Cross. Rusty Duffy, his fiance, Jamie Rishard and their the seven-month-old son, Alexander, were taken by surprise when a levee broke and turned their small apartment building into an island. They suddenly found themselves being one of the more than five thousand homeless in the Iowa City and Coralville area. Producer Stephen Grant gives us an inside view of one family's struggles.
Broadcast History
Aired June 18th, 2008 on Iowa Public Radio's statewide networks WOI-AM 640, WSUI-AM 910
Transcript
DUFFY?S ARK
When Jamie Rishard, her seven-month-old son, Alexander, and her partner Rusty Duff went to sleep last Thursday night they weren't expecting to wake up the next morning in more than two feet of water. But overnight, the nearby levee they thought would protect them failed turning their small apartment building in Coralville into an island. With no phone, and no way out, they were trapped.
Cue 1: On the Boat we Went ?I wasn?t real sure what to do . . . on the boat we went!?
Following their evacuation, Rishard, Duffy and baby Alexander were transported to Northwest Junior High School, one of two shelters set up by the Red Cross for displaced families. After seven days at the school, they are still there trying to make the best of a bad situation. During their initial check-in, Rishard recalls being uneasy.
Cue 5: Panicked ?When we first got here, I was a little bit p...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
The report runs to 4:15. A 25 second music tail for lead-out takes the piece to 4:40
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wu Wei Suite #1 | Michael Chimenti | original music, not recorded. | 00:20 |
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