As former missionaries, Mike and Kim Brannan are accustomed to helping others. But after historic floodwaters tore through their business, they were the recipients of aid.
About 60 citizens came to the Brannan’s rescue Monday morning to clean up the significant damage at Ozark Resale Company. Brushy Creek ripped through the store Saturday, destroying two sides of the building, ruining inventory and scattering material throughout the area.
It was a devastating blow. But the outpouring of support, Kim said, renewed their strength.
“We really feel like we expanded our family,” she told those gathered to assist. “We greatly appreciate all you have done. We love you back and hope we can love you as well as you’ve loved us today.”
Those helping — many the Brannon’s church family at Faith Fellowship — separated destroyed products from those that were not damaged, swept out water inside the building and gathered items that had washed into the yard. It took the volunteers less than three hours to finish.
“I’m overwhelmed by the amount of people who have shown up,” Mike Brannon said. “They’ve made small work of it.”
The building — beside the former bowling alley at U.S. 63 and Highway B — has flooded before. But nothing this significant.
Mike Brannan said as rain fell and the river rose, he stayed the night Friday inside the building. By 7 a.m. Saturday, he said the water was filling the parking lot and approaching the building. He said he and his son-in-law began sandbagging the front door and moving products to higher shelves.
But the water quickly rose. The men put on lifejackets that were for sale inside the store and called for assistance.
“It raised about three feet in 30 minutes,” Brannan said. “Once we realized it had gotten that high, we called a buddy, and he threw a rope out to get us across because we couldn’t get out of the building without it.”
The water crested around 9:30 a.m., Brannan said, and he re-entered the building to access damage. He said there had only been a few inches of water that made it inside.
Brannan said things were in good shape when he left at 2 p.m. for Springfield. He had an appointment there to pick up items for Rascalz, a youth center he is building in downtown Houston.
Around 3:50 p.m., Brannon received a phone call from his son-in-law. The water rose again and was inside the building.
“Stuff started floating down the river,” Brannan said. “We lost the propane tank and stuff out of the back of the building.
“We’ve lost 60 percent that’s not here anymore or damaged beyond repair.”
Brannan said the sandbags at the front door held. But the building was compromised by a large hole on the north side that allowed the water to sweep through the store and burst another hole on the south end.
Brannan believes something crashed into the metal building and created the hole.
“We have stuff inside (the building) that’s not mine,” Brannan said. “Something hit the building.”
Volunteers moved the undamaged products to the front room of the building so they could be auctioned. Brannan said he would use the proceeds to reopen the business. And he is still committed to opening Rascalz, which is funded by profits from Ozark Resale Company.
“I’ll open up again,” he said. “I don’t know how, where or when. But I’ve had a lot of people say, “Hey, we’re sorry. Are you going to open again?'”
The volunteers who helped he and his family clean up made the first step an easier one.
“We hope you understand how much we feel loved,” Kim Brannan said.