Missouri business owners hit by this month's extensive flash flooding are asking tourists to visit now that the waters have receded.
Between July 9 and 10, heavy rain pounded southern Missouri, causing "catastrophic flooding" in Iron and Reynolds counties and floods in many other counties as well. Swift-water boat rescuers had to retrieve people stranded on rooftops, and one person in Crawford County died.
The flooding hit during the high season for summer tourism in the area. Residents flock to this part of Missouri during the hot months to hike, camp and float on the area's pristine gravel-bottomed rivers and streams.
"We are telling people that we're coming back," said Melody Gardner, a board member of the Chamber of Commerce in Lesterville, a community on the Black River that serves as hub for the region's outdoor recreation. "Not all of us are at full capacity yet, but we're floating the rivers. We're camping. Call your favorite campground, your favorite cabins, and come on back down."
Although some businesses are closed or still rebuilding, the Chamber said tourists can still float on the river, camp or book local cabins and hotels to support local businesses affected by the flood.
The Black River's water levels are also back down to where they were before the flood, at about 4.5 feet. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the river crested at 28 feet during the floods at Annapolis.
But visitors are still staying away, Gardner said.
"People are canceling right and left," she said. "You know, they're canceling all the way into August. And this is what our community is built around – tourism. So it's affecting every business in our region."
That means fewer people are getting gas at gas stations, buying food at restaurants or staying at local hotels.
"No one is pretending everything is back to normal," the region's business leaders wrote in a press release. "The flood changed our landscape, but it did not destroy our community spirit."
JoAnn Franklin and her husband operate Franklin Floats, an outfitter on the upper Black River. The flood swept away part of their home and covered what was left in mud, she said.
Despite the catastrophe, the outpouring of help from the community has kept her feeling positive. A retired mechanic in the area came soon after the flood to repair the buses used for float trips. Franklin Floats reopened for business earlier this week.
Next year, the business will have its 50th anniversary.
"We're now seeing grandchildren and great-grandchildren of people [from when] we started serving, and so we have a reputation of providing good service," Franklin said. "We've just been blessed by so many people that have reached out, and so we got those two buses up and running, which meant that we then could start moving forward."
The decision to open was less of a financial decision than a show of strength, she said.
"The decision to open it was because people have been coming here forever, and they've been reaching out and wanting to [come]," Franklin said. "It's just a continuation of what we've been doing."
Other volunteers are pitching in to provide storage, cleaning and construction help.
"It's incredible the people that have come forward and asked for nothing and gave so much," Franklin said.
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