VAN BUREN, Mo. - Van Buren residents are strong. With the scent of murky water, mold and rotted food still lingering in the air, the community's flood recovery has begun. As most of the town's businesses plan to re-open, for a handful of others, the future is up in the air.
Recovery efforts at The Landing are in full force. Reconstruction has been divided into three phases said Tom Bedell, with the restaurant expected to re-open around Memorial Day weekend.
"We're doing our restaurant first, then our river store and then our rooms that were damaged," Bedell said. "Recovery is going very well."
The tourist destination received water damage nearly up to its second floor ceiling.
The Bedell's hired a ServPro disaster recovery team, which has been working exhaustively to remove water-damaged materials in preparation to begin the rebuilding process.
Bedell said clean-up is moving along much quicker than he'd anticipated, which has laid change to at least one original plan.
"We were going to move our restaurant up to our River Center building, but we're moving a lot faster than I thought. So rather than trying to set up there, we're pushing forward to try and open here in a week or two," Bedell said.
Jolly Cone Drive-In has been a Van Buren must for 63 years. Rick and Betty Helvey are in their fourth season of ownership and are planning to re-open as soon as funding becomes available, but as of now, a concrete date has not been set.
"It just depends on FEMA and if we can find financial assistance," Betty Helvey said. "We've got to have cash flow before anything can happen."
The inside of the Jolly Cone has been stripped to its studs and sits awaiting future construction.
"Never in the 63 years that the Jolly Cone sat there has there ever been a hint it would flood," Betty Helvey said. "We're in total shock, but we're doing what we need to do."
Tara Chitwood's parents, Bob and Anita Chitwood, have owned Riverways Discount and Pawn Shop her entire life. She said the family has been steadily working to clear the damaged products out of the store with a goal to open its doors this summer.
"The water was up to my shoulders inside," Tara Chitwood said. "So we've been really busy working to clean things up. We're hoping to re-open by the Fourth of July."
But for other establishments that fell victim to the wrath of Current River, the future is not so promising and emotions are a bit more raw.
The Float Stream Restaurant, owned by Janet Jackson for nearly 20 years, is one business that has an uncertain future.
Water rose six feet high inside the Van Buren staple and according to Jackson, re-opening is a hurdle she's not sure she wants to clear.
"Will I re-open," a tearful Jackson said. "I don't know. I'm 73 years old. I've put the last 20 years of my life into a restaurant, but I don't know. It all depends on what FEMA and flood insurance does for me but I don't know if I have it in me to start all over."
Jackson said her children spent last week helping pull debris from inside the restaurant that now smells of dirty river water and diesel oil instead of the usual down-home fare. The oil flowed into The Float Stream during the height of the flood, Jackson said.
"I don't think we'll ever get the smell out and nobody wants to eat where it smells like old dirty socks," Jackson said, working in a smile.
Burke's Hardware, which had been closed for two years, was three days away from re-opening.
Owner Eddy Burke, who also owns the Current River Express Sinclair station, said he'd recently finished adding new inventory and organizing his store in hopes of a fresh start.
"We bought this place seven years ago and there's an apartment (inside) where my wife and I lived during the last flood," Burke said. "At the time, we were sitting out front in rocking chairs and I made the statement 'if you ever see the river come up Main Street to this store, Van Buren's going to be in big trouble.' Well guess what, it happened. Never thought I would see it."
According to marks on the walls inside Burke's Hardware, the water neared five feet. Burke said the situation for most folks in the small riverfront community is overwhelming and devastating.
"Right now I'm going through and organizing, throwing stuff in crates and taking it to my house until I see what's going to happen with the government and if there will be any assistance," Burke said.
"I don't know what's going to happen. This store is my life savings, everything in here was paid for, so that's good, I guess. I don't have to look very far to find others who are less fortunate."
The businesses featured in this story are just a few of those impacted by the recent disaster.
Overall, the outlook for Van Buren is positive as hardworking folks line the streets from dawn until dusk, working together to rebuild the community they call home.