Monett business owners clean up after flooding

Dec. 29--MONETT, Mo. -- Mayor Mike Brownsberger stood on the sidewalk in front of his clothing store Monday, hosing down debris left by the flooding.

"When Kelly Creek gets out of its banks, it floods our downtown," Brownsberger said. "This was one of the worst ones."

This city of 8,873 people was hammered by a two-day deluge that might have dumped as much as a foot of rain on the city, according to radar estimates from the National Weather Service forecast office at Springfield.

Monett, which straddles Lawrence and Barry counties, was in the part of the state worst hit by the storm system that caused Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to declare a state of emergency.

"Barry County got the most, based on our estimates," said Megan Terry, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Brownsberger, who became mayor after the death of longtime Mayor James Orr on Dec. 18, and other area business owners on Broadway Street were cleaning up the damage Monday. Some of the 50 businesses estimated to have been affected by the storm were open, but not all.

At Mitzi's, a gift shop, owner Mitzi Doss was working to box things up so repairmen could come in. Doss said she didn't have flood insurance because of the cost.

"We're going to put in new flooring," Doss said. "We're not going back to carpet."

Doss said the rain gauge at her nearby home showed that 14 inches of rain had fallen. The National Weather Service doesn't have official figures for Monett, only estimates from radar.

"It's heartbreaking, but we'll deal with it," Doss said.

Downtown Monett near Kelly Creek has had problems with flooding for at least a century. A 2011 study commissioned by the city found that the city has had "substantial flooding" at least 10 times since 1916, the last being in September 2009 when an estimated 6.65 inches of rain fell. The study called that deluge "a 100-year event."

City Administrator Dennis Pyle said he didn't yet have a damage estimate for the city.

It could be in the millions. The 2011 study estimated that flooding from a century storm would cause $12 million in damage.

Next door to Mitzi's, the Fashion Crossroads also was closed. Owner Bernice Morris said she had merchandise damaged by a leaking roof and damage caused by water that entered the store. She and other business owners sandbagged their stores, but that didn't keep all the water out.

"We've had floods before, but we've never had two days of rain back to back, Morris said.

The city's public works department was digging out too.

City employees used a wheelbarrow to take out the mud from the 15 1/2 inches of mud and water that entered the city building on Monday morning, said Russ Balmas, public works superintendent.

"At one point, the water was 6 feet deep on Broadway," Balmas said. "It came up 3 feet in 45 minutes. Once it gets up to the top of the creek, it comes downtown. We just try to keep people from coming down here."

Fire Chief Tom Jones said firefighters helped rescue people stranded in homes or cars near downtown Monett.

Ronald Plummer, his fiancee and her 10-year-old daughter were three of the people who were rescued from their home near the creek.

"The only thing we made it out with were our animals and the clothes on our backs," said Plummer, who waded through the knee-deep water, holding onto a rope.

Downstream from Plummer, Shellbie Robertson's home wasn't flooded, but she watched as logs, dumpsters and other debris floated by. She said she now plans to move.

Jeff Meredith, the executive director of the Monett Chamber of Commerce, said periodic flooding is expected in Monett.

"As soon as the city started getting built, they had flooding issues," Meredith said.

On Monday afternoon, Meredith was taking calls and talking to volunteers about the city's annual Christmas light display. The elf hut, where volunteers hand out candy canes, would be open again after being closed Saturday night and Sunday, although some of the decorative metal reindeer had been washed away.

Mayor Brownsberger said most business owners know what to expect with a heavy rainfall.

"It seems to happen every few years," Brownsberger said. "Sometimes we go five to six years without having one. Sometimes it will be back to back. But usually it's summertime."

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