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Business owners prepare for weekend rain after flash flooding

Posted at 9:36 PM, Aug 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-05 13:25:05-04

With a set of storms expected to move through the metro this weekend bringing heavy rain and possible flooding, businesses hit by recent flash flooding hope to avoid a similar experience.

Last week's storm brought inches of rain and flooded parts of the metro, including a shopping center along West 103rd Street.

The flooding heavily damaged a row of stores, from ripping walls and flooring from their places to scattering and washing away countless items.

Gold Rush Exchange was one of the businesses that saw damage in the storm.

Owner William Reneau, who now works out of his Independence location, said recovering from the damage has presented plenty of challenges.

"It's been chaos because we had to move a lot of stuff over here," he explained. "My tax paperwork and all that stuff was there so we took it all home and it was all wet. One by one, hundreds of pieces of paper, we dried out." 

Reneau said the devastation to the store from the flooding surprised him, with tile floor being lifted up off the ground and broken into little pieces.

"You got your nice jewelry store then it looked like a third world country after that. It was something I'd never seen before," he explained. "Anything we could salvage we kept, which wasn't much. Everything was under water." 

As the metro braces for more storms this weekend, Reneau expected Indian Creek nearby to see possible flooding.

"We've been at that location so long, it's just part of it," he said. "Maybe one day, everyone will get together and fix the problem."

Indian Creek, which sits near West 103rd Street, has seen numerous floods over the years.

With the flooding continuing to cause damage to the area nearby, city leaders have looked at ways to improve the situation. 

One plan, which would cost at least $74 million, would alter the creek's flood plain and likely lead to less devastation seen recently.

However, as KCMO city spokesman Chris Hernandez explained, the plan presents certain challenges.

"That is something on our radar," he explained. "We have plans. It's a matter of getting the funding."

Hernandez told 41 Action News that with Indian Creek flowing through multiple cities, counties, and both Kansas and Missouri, getting all the areas to work together and coordinate the project has led to a delay.

"It's a very complex project, a big project," he explained. "That's why it takes time and money to do that."

In the meantime, many of the businesses that saw damage on West 103rd Street will see demolition to the inside of their stores soon.

Reneau said he hoped to reopen Gold Rush Exchange in one to two months.