By Brenda Showalter, The Republic
bshowalter@therepublic.com
When Angela Straub saw her Eastbrook Plaza bridal shop fi lled with wedding dresses covered in mud and water, she felt like crying.
The flood could not have come at a worse time for Straub and her mother, Jewell Cross, who own Annalee's Bridal Shop.
"I had June brides. I had to have someplace to go," said Straub.
Three days after the flood, Straub and Cross reopened about one mile away at 3623 25th St., next to Flowers by Lois.
Jack and Pat Kelley, owners of the flower shop, offered the open spot to Straub and Cross free of rent for two months to help them get back in business.
Straub said she was overwhelmed by the kindness of friends and customers who helped clean, including high school students who shopped at the store at prom time. Vendors also donated several dresses to replace the $200,000 in lost inventory.
Fortunately for the June brides, the dresses that already had been purchased were safe since they were hanging high above flood waters that reached about three feet in the shop.
Straub hopes to stay in the new location, which is larger, offering more room for dresses and more dressing rooms.
"The Lord works in mysterious ways," Straub said with a smile. "It was rough, but I think I've got my head above water now."
Rebuilding
Annalee's is just one example of more than 100 businesses in Bartholomew County that two months ago were affected by the flood.
Some lost their buildings and inventory, others lost customers and vendors, and many also had the challenge of trying to help employees whose homes were flooded and needed financial assistance and time off work.
Jack Hess, president of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, said his office compiled a list of 111 businesses with some type of flood damage. They range from large businesses, including Cummins Inc. and Mariah Foods, to small businesses, such as Annalee's.
"Most are recovering fairly well, with a few exceptions," Hess said.
More than 70 businesses applied for loans from the Small Business Administration, which will accept applications for loans through Monday. SBA representatives are at the chamber office, 500 Franklin St., to answer questions and assist with paperwork.
Hess noted that the Internal Revenue Service also is working with businesses to get copies of any tax paperwork that was lost in the flood and filing amended returns, in some cases.
"Insurance has been the most timeconsuming thing for many of the businesses," Hess said.
Eastbrook bouncing back
Eastbrook Plaza was one of the business areas hardest hit by the flood.
Many of the businesses have reopened, including Sav-A-Lot grocery store, Dollar General, American Rental, China Buffet and Papa John's Pizza. Irwin Union Bank's Eastbrook branch is scheduled to reopen Thursday.
Furniture Plus plans to reopen in the center, but is operating out of a temporary location at the corner of Hope Avenue and North Mapleton Street.
Sav-A-Lot manager Dan Bailey said the store reopened July 7 after removing a store full of ruined merchandise, lots of cleaning and adding new drywall and a fresh coat of paint. "We scraped and cleaned from the floor to the ceiling," Bailey said.
"We didn't want to stay closed any longer than we had to." Bailey said many of the regular customers have come back, and business is starting to pick up again. Getting the word out that businesses have reopened has been one of the challenges.
Although Mariah Foods suffered significant damage, many workers have been back on the job, and the retail store is open on Stadler Drive, where an assortment of Mariah products are sold including ham, bacon, cheese and pork chops.
Last week, Mariah Retail store manager Darlene Beckemeyer sat in the quiet store, hoping for customers and some friendly conversation to pass the time. "It's been a little slow," Beckemeyer said.
Double damage
When flood waters swept through Garden City, Danny and Fayola Fivecoat had damage to their home and their business next door. The Fivecoats still are waiting for repair workers to finish their house, but they are back at work in their barber and beauty shop.
"Our customers were glad to see us back," said Fayola, who has worked as a hairdresser for 33 years. Danny has been a barber for 45 years. Although they considered taking an SBA loan, they decided against it since they did not want to be saddled with a new loan.
The area at Second and State streets also was hit hard. Bartholomew County REMC has been operating out of a new location, 1502 Southpark Court, since the flood. General Manager Dan Arnholt said the Second Street building had seven feet of water in the basement, which stored the computer, internet and phone systems.
Arnholt said it was critical to find a new location immediately to assist customers, including those who needed to call about power outages. Arnholt said the building is in good shape after being dried and cleaned, but the board still is assessing what REMC should do.
"Should we risk putting equipment back in that building?" Arnholt asked. "We're assessing that site and other sites. We're not rushing back in. We're trying to look at what is the right thing to do."
Cummins
Columbus' largest employer, Cummins Inc., had four facilities damaged by the flood: the Engine Plant, Technical Center, Child Development Center and Health Center. Cummins is estimating damage at about $135 million.
Mark Land, director of public relations, said Cummins is confident the company has sufficient insurance to cover repairs and replacement after the $6 million charge it reported in second-quarter earnings for the insurance deductible.
Land said many of the displaced workers at the Technical Center and Engine Plant are expected to return to work this week. Cummins has decided not to continue using the facility on Pleasant Grove as a child care center and is temporarily using Jefferson Education Center for child care.
Across Columbus, many other businesses still are cleaning, repairing, operating out of temporary facilities and trying to decide their future.
On Jonathan Moore Pike, most of the damaged businesses, including Holiday Inn Conference Center, have reopened. The westside McDonald's is slated for demolition with a new restaurant to be built on the same site.