Damage assessments are underway in downtown Davenport after the temporary levee gave way to flood waters from the Mississippi River. For many business owners cleanup is not even close to starting as the river is expected to stay high for weeks.
“Definitely surreal,” Dylan Steil, owner of Roam in downtown told KWQC-TV 6. Steil returned to the restaurant and bar he opened in December. “Here we are.” He said as he walked up to the building. “Garage door is collapsed”.
Steil says the damage is widespread and will likely cost hundreds of thousands to repair, but he is taking it in stride. "We had some areas we wanted to redesign and we can redesign now. We are ready for Roam 2.0,” he said”
The city estimates the damage costs to in the hundreds of thousands of dollars as well and that does not include private property damage costs.
"We had literally zero notice,” Tim Baldwin, co-owner of Front Street Brewery said. Baldwin was standing outside when the flood way broke. “We have a lot to deal with,” Baldwin told KWQC. “There is not a lot we can do with water filling the buildings."
Residents of downtown businesses and homes are being allowed in and out at their own risk. It is unclear when things will be cleaned up.
(PHOTO: KWQC-TV 6)