For the last two days volunteers have been working night and day to create a sandbag wall between Parkville's historic downtown business district and the rising waters of the Missouri River.
First and foremost, like all of the downtown merchants, thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who gave their time and worked in the 95 degree heat to create the "Great Wall of Parkville", your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Next, we have to deal with the speculation and rumors about the flood. What we know is that the water is expected to come out of its banks sometime this weekend and is expected to crest around the 18th. It's also generally accepted that the water will be with us anywhere from four to eight weeks. What we don't know is how high the water will get and this has been the fodder for the rumors. Could it be as bad as 1993? Anything is possible, but I keep hearing, that it's extremely unlikely.
We last dealt with floodwaters in 2006 that left most of downtown untouched. Hopefully, this is our worst case scenerio, but it's always best to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
I'm still planning on being here every day (even if I have to wear my ID badge I was issued yesterday) and we WILL be open until someone tells me we can't. I'm an optimist with a dose of reality, I really think we'll be allright.
In the meantime, we seem to have become a bit of a tourist attraction with a steady stream of onlookers, even though the river is still in it's banks. Personally, I'm glad to see the faces, but it's turned us into No Place To Park-ville.
Thanks to eveyone who has called or emailed to show their concern and support, it's great to have people who are concerned about you and your business.
If you're in the nieghborhood (and you actually find a place to park!) drop in and say "hi", I'll be here!
Gregg
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