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A Dry July Prompts Optimism For Future
On Flood Anniversary, City Leaders Hopeful For Future Growth
By Dustin Kass, dustinKass@miconews.com
Many residents have returned to their rebuilt homes, the structures restored with, depending on the location, new carpet, new wiring or new walls.
Other families have left Osawatomie for good, their lots sitting empty and structure-less.
One year after floodwaters poured over the Pottawatomie Creek levee, forcing the evacuation of thousands and damaging and destroying hundreds of homes in one of Osawatomie’s largest disasters ever, the area hit hardest is full of contrasts. There are boarded-up homes sitting next to restored structures and vacant lots sandwiched between yards full of children playing. While the present may vary for these locations, city leaders are optimistic that the future for the entire area is the same: full of opportunity.
The disaster, and the way the community responded to it, has helped unite Osawatomie, said Mayor Phil Dudley. He said this event, combined with positive changes that were already being made in the city, only gave more momentum to the efforts to build a better community.
“It felt like a turning point for our city,” Dudley said.
The opportunity comes in part because of the flood’s impact, from a purely financial standpoint, was largely minimal in the short-term. The city’s budget was only mildly affected, thanks to the reimbursements Osawatomie received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said City Manager Bret Glendening. He said the city will receive one final check from the organization, at which time he thinks Osawatomie will be closing out their disaster dealings with FEMA. In all, he estimates the final impact on the city budget was between $10,000 and $12,000.
Even the closing of numerous businesses in the Sixth Street area didn’t hurt the city’s bottom line that much. Glendening said the lost sales tax revenue from those businesses was more than made up for by the money spent in the city in the wake of the flooding on fuel for vehicles clearing debris, food for workers and volunteers and necessities from local stores.
The opportunity is also a result of the city’s response to the flooding. A number of state officials in various disaster-response organizations have commented on the efforts in Osawatomie during the flood and in the months afterward, Dudley said. No lives were lost in the disaster, and no looting was reported in the wake of the evacuations.
The effects will continue to be apparent, however, in the form of homes not yet rebuilt and empty lots where trailers once stood. Another impact will likely be a reluctance to build new housing in the section of town that flooded, Glendening said. He predicted this “little bit of hesitation” could last for several years or more, though he said it might simply take one or two home-builders to erect structures on these empty lots for residents to reconsider their misgivings.
In the meantime, Glendening also recognizes possibility for improvement throughout the city created by the floodwaters that poured into Osawatomie last July. He cited the number of legislative measures passed this session to help foster rebuilding and growth in disaster-affected communities such as Osawatomie, noting that city officials are looking to use that help to improve life for everyone in town.
It’s a classic case of making the best of a bad situation.
“I hope the city can take advantage of the opportunities the flood created and make the community a better place,” Glendening said. “And that can be the lasting impact of the flood.”
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Other families have left Osawatomie for good, their lots sitting empty and structure-less.
One year after floodwaters poured over the Pottawatomie Creek levee, forcing the evacuation of thousands and damaging and destroying hundreds of homes in one of Osawatomie’s largest disasters ever, the area hit hardest is full of contrasts. There are boarded-up homes sitting next to restored structures and vacant lots sandwiched between yards full of children playing. While the present may vary for these locations, city leaders are optimistic that the future for the entire area is the same: full of opportunity.
The disaster, and the way the community responded to it, has helped unite Osawatomie, said Mayor Phil Dudley. He said this event, combined with positive changes that were already being made in the city, only gave more momentum to the efforts to build a better community.
“It felt like a turning point for our city,” Dudley said.
The opportunity comes in part because of the flood’s impact, from a purely financial standpoint, was largely minimal in the short-term. The city’s budget was only mildly affected, thanks to the reimbursements Osawatomie received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said City Manager Bret Glendening. He said the city will receive one final check from the organization, at which time he thinks Osawatomie will be closing out their disaster dealings with FEMA. In all, he estimates the final impact on the city budget was between $10,000 and $12,000.
Even the closing of numerous businesses in the Sixth Street area didn’t hurt the city’s bottom line that much. Glendening said the lost sales tax revenue from those businesses was more than made up for by the money spent in the city in the wake of the flooding on fuel for vehicles clearing debris, food for workers and volunteers and necessities from local stores.
The opportunity is also a result of the city’s response to the flooding. A number of state officials in various disaster-response organizations have commented on the efforts in Osawatomie during the flood and in the months afterward, Dudley said. No lives were lost in the disaster, and no looting was reported in the wake of the evacuations.
The effects will continue to be apparent, however, in the form of homes not yet rebuilt and empty lots where trailers once stood. Another impact will likely be a reluctance to build new housing in the section of town that flooded, Glendening said. He predicted this “little bit of hesitation” could last for several years or more, though he said it might simply take one or two home-builders to erect structures on these empty lots for residents to reconsider their misgivings.
In the meantime, Glendening also recognizes possibility for improvement throughout the city created by the floodwaters that poured into Osawatomie last July. He cited the number of legislative measures passed this session to help foster rebuilding and growth in disaster-affected communities such as Osawatomie, noting that city officials are looking to use that help to improve life for everyone in town.
It’s a classic case of making the best of a bad situation.
“I hope the city can take advantage of the opportunities the flood created and make the community a better place,” Glendening said. “And that can be the lasting impact of the flood.”