“It’s a mess”: Midwest flooding leaves small businesses reeling
“It’s a mess”: Midwest flooding leaves small businesses reeling
Heavy rain and melting snow have brought historic flooding to parts of the Midwest. Around 200 miles of Missouri River levees in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas have been compromised, according to the Associated Press, and flood warnings are still up for at least a dozen states. At least two people have died, thousands have been forced from their homes, and businesses are quite literally trying to pick up the pieces. “It looks like we’re just going to have to haul a lot of stuff off the scrapyard and start over,” said Aaron Ross, CEO and president of Lagoon Pumping and Dredging Inc. in Columbus, Nebraska. Ross told Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal that floodwaters pushed a big wall of ice into his building, causing significant damage to his family’s business, and that other businesses in his neighborhood have been “wiped out.” “There’s a gas station here, and his tanks are floating down the river,” Ross said. “It’s a mess.”
Click the audio player above to hear the interview.
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