One year after flood, Frederick businesses grateful for community’s help in recovery

Sept. 29--A marker line on the archway of a door in Vinyl Acres on East Patrick Street marks where 3 feet of water reached one year ago after a flood.

"It keeps us from exaggerating," co-owner Martha Hull said of the water that was throughout the building.

The business, which sells used records, lost about $30,000 of inventory and was closed for a few weeks, but has recovered with the help of the community, she said. Vinyl Acres was one of several businesses damaged by heavy rain and flooding Sept. 29, 2015.

Businesses received help from online fundraisers, the government, the Downtown Frederick Partnership and fundraising events at other businesses.

"The comeback was inspiring because if it hadn't been for people's generosity, we would have definitely closed our doors," Hull said. "There was no way we would have survived."

Wind and Willow, which was called Whidden Willow at the time of the flood, also lost about $25,000 in inventory, said Lisa Whidden, who owns the store. She said another store, Shabby Chic, even took her in, allowing her to sell her inventory out of the store for about a month.

"So I wasn't completely out of business for the holidays," she said.

In December, Whidden moved the business to the street-level retail spot above the location that flooded because it was available and she thought it would be a good business move.

"It's definitely been a game of catching up throughout the year, but I feel like I'm finally getting to the point where it's about to flip over and get to be self-sustaining again," she said. "It's been a struggle, but I've been doing pretty well and I've grown a lot, too, so I had to get a lot more inventory to fill this space."

Whidden's business was one of two in Frederick County that received a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to Kathy Cook, a public affairs specialist for the SBA.

The loans were available for Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties in Maryland; Adams and Franklin counties in Pennsylvania; and Loudoun County in Virginia for damage from the heavy rain and flooding on Sept. 29, 2015.

Five home disaster loans were also given, Cook said. The SBA approved eight disaster loans totaling $289,300 for the event as of the close of business Wednesday. Whidden said the loan she received was for $24,000 and has been helpful because of the low interest rate and good term.

The YMCA of Frederick County saw the most damage from the flooding, at more than $1 million. Although the YMCA recovered in 32 days, it is still looking to raise $75,000 by the end of the year to help pay for the damage. It is actively procuring about $135,000 it has identified as a possible donation to go toward the damage, said Chris Colville, the CEO of the YMCA of Frederick County.

Colville said the YMCA plans to host an open house Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to thank donors who helped pay for repairs and to show footage of the damage a year ago.

After the flood, the YMCA got flood and earthquake insurance. And it rebuilt, all mechanical systems that didn't need to be below the ground were put above ground in case of a future flood.

The YMCA had an independent engineering report done that looked at the amount of rain that fell in the September flood and how much is captured and brought to where the YMCA sits, she said. It is awaiting the results of the report.

The Weinberg Center for the Arts, which saw minor damage, has new policies in place because of the flood, said John Healey, the executive theater manager. The theater makes sure drains are kept clear, as clogged drains contributed to the flood, and is careful to keep emergency doors closed.

"We had to replace exit doors crushed by weight of the water," he said.

Other businesses that were damaged included Magoo's, Pizza and Pretzel Creations, and Silk & Burlap.

Hull said something particularly helpful was when the Downtown Frederick Partnership set up an online fundraising page for the business that raised over $10,000 to help pay for the damage. The business couldn't sell a lot of the inventory because of the damage.

The partnership also brought cleaning supplies the next day and helped find someone to donate a large container to dispose of trash.

"The place was a complete disaster area," Hull said. "The furniture was floating. The big glass cases were pushed over. The damage was unbelievable."

But the flood hasn't haunted her.

"The things that were lost, you know, we just had to put it behind us," she said. "Life goes on. ... We had no idea how much love was out there. ... We're just eternally grateful and our faith in humanity was incredibly pumped up because of that kind of generosity."

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