Flood 2008: We never stopped working

Temporary location:
526 Second Avenue SE, lower level,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa52401

To our flood-affected clients: We wish you well and we’re ready to serve when you need us.
– Kirk Monson and Jeffrey Zahrt

On June 11, 2008, the Oakhill Jackson Neighborhood in southeast Cedar Rapids began to flood. MVP Visual Media Solutions and about 40 other businesses were housed in The Cherry Building in one of the first neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids to flood. Like all businesses in the area, MVP was forced to evacuate.

Yet Kirk Monson and Jeffrey “Jeff” Zahrt of MVP never stopped working.

“We grabbed cameras and the core pieces of equipment we needed to continue operations and basically walked into the flood and started filming,” said Jeff.

Determined not to stop working on existing projects, Kirk left Cedar Rapids to shoot a previously arranged assignment for a client.

As the waters rose, crested at a record level and then receded, Jeff remained embedded with two key clients, Mercy Medical Center and Area Ambulance Service, filming activity around the flooded hospital and the ambulance service’s nearby administrative site.

A little more than a week after the flood, the Cherry Building temporarily reopened to tenants. Kirk and Jeff packed up equipment and each set up shop in their homes, Kirk in Urbana, Jeff in southeast Cedar Rapids. They continued to work on projects for clients and filmed ongoing flood activity.

The Cherry Building still has not reopened for business. MVP has since secured office space downtown Cedar Rapids -- a block north of the flood line -- and moved in at the beginning of September. Kirk and Jeff continue to work for local and national clients as they search for a new permanent space for the studio and office.