I've been watching this flood story unfold here for the last two weeks. And watching businesses get back to business has been something to watch in itself.
A week ago, a stream of new Toyotas and Fords were already on their way back to their I-5 dealerships in a series of convoys. The cars rode out the storm on high ground.
Some businesses, like the local Goodyear tire dealer, have been through this before, and cleanup looked like clockwork in action. You can see experience in action.
But for others, the flood is a new experience. At EZ Mitts, a small family manufacturer of cleaning gloves, they had just moved into their new digs at the large Yard Birds complex a month before the storm hit. But even here, the owners promise that if they can receive an emergency disaster loan from the Small Business Administration, they can buy new equipment and be back up and running in a week.
As bad as this disaster is, there is a special determination here. I asked Darris McDaniel of the Shop N Kart grocery store here if he thought about calling it quits after 6 feet of water flooded his store. Afterall, he had just finished paying off his last flood loan just six months ago. He said he tought about giving it up for about 15 minutes. Then he thought about his 100 employees. On Friday, December 12, the store re-opened. Volunteers from other independent grocers came from all over the Northwest to help get the store washed out and back togther. The place is now so clean, you would never know there was ever a flood here.
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