Mother Nature left her mark in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on June 15 as flood waters surrounded I-380 and forced many residents and business owners to evacuate.

SIOUX City, Iowa--Pech Optical has recently shown what their motto, “Where quality and friendly service go hand in hand,” really means. As numerous cities and towns throughout the Midwest began their long road to recovery after being torn apart by Mother Nature, the Sioux City-based lab has been there to lend a helping hand. Perhaps the most devastating of events was the Iowa Flood of 2008, which caused countless numbers of home and business owners’ belongings to be destroyed or swept away by the high waters.

With little time to prepare for evacuation, many victims lost essential items needed for day-to-day living, including their eyewear. Pech Optical responded by donating new pairs of eyewear to these victims to accommodate their loss. A number of laboratories were also affected when this historical disaster left their equipment damaged and useless. Pech Optical, understanding the importance of reliable equipment, quickly donated replacements so labs could continue to provide needed optical products.

Pech Optical employees also took it upon themselves to make sure victims of other disasters were supported in their time of need as well. Free eyewear was extended to those in need and monetary donations were collected for the Mid-America Council after the Little Sioux Scout Ranch was upturned by an EF-3 tornado on June 11, 2008. Four scouts were killed and many others injured when their shelter buildings, a mere 50 miles south of Pech Optical, were reduced to piles of rubble.

“As a result of these devastations, Pech Optical has finalized our decision to forgo the 2008 Vision Expo West Exhibition and reallocate funds into further donations for victims,” said Bob Pech, CEO. ■