The Letter From President/CEO

I hope that you had a good holiday weekend. Progress on immediate disaster recovery has been moving right along. At the end of the week the buildings were well on their way to being cleaned, disinfected and dryed out. We hope that by the end of this week, we may be done with that part of our recovery. The Disaster Recovery crew we are working with has been efficient and professional, which has allowed us to get our building assets in stable condition quickly.

In the main building, most windows and doors were broken or blasted out and have now been boarded up. The alarm system has been returned to operation so we are covered. We still have no electricity and even when that is reconnected, will have work to do to restore lights, heating and cooling for the long-term preservation of the building in the interim period while we decide what to do.

Some people have asked about our Immigrant Home - the little house that was moved to our property in 1984 - that is our most beloved attraction. I am pleased to say that it weathered the flood very well. It has existed on the banks of the Cedar River for over 120 years and, to our knowledge, has never been flooded. The plaster walls, woodwork and hardwood floors are in good shape and have not been removed. There will be repair and refinishing, especially to the two stoves, but it will be able to be restored.

Donations have started to come in and we continue to hear from people from all over the world. This helps us keep operating while we can get a handle on an interim operating plan. Knowing that people remember and support us gives us the heart to go on. Thanks for your support.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum Flooded

The National Czech & Slovak Muesum, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa was flooded by several feet of water from Cedar River during the period of June13-14 along with much of the city of Cedar Rapids and surrounding area. There is still no estimate of the damage to the museum or its contents, but it is expected to be considerable. For more details and donation information visit the museum website at www.ncsml.org.