Bluffton looks back on anniversary of flood

BLUFFTON - It took just a few hours for the waters of Riley Creek and Little Riley to run the banks. A couple of days later, the water had receded and life was back to relative normal. But a year after the flood that destroyed more than two dozen homes and left hundreds stranded, the memories remain.

"I think it's one of those things, I suppose you have to celebrate the anniversary some way, but most of us would kind of like to forget it," said Jamie Mehaffie, village administrator.

For most of those who went through the Bluffton flood, it's the suddenness of the whole ordeal that sticks with them. The problems actually began that Monday. Rain fell steady through the day and night. By Tuesday morning, more than 10 inches of rain had fallen. Water collecting in a quarry on both sides of Interstate 75 had washed out a dam. That, coupled with the overflowing Riley Creek and Little Riley Creek, flooded the highway. The quarry held up on the village side, probably saving millions of dollars in lost property and maybe even a few lives.

"I think part of what's going to be remembered is how sudden it was. In Ottawa and Findlay, for good or bad, it happened over time. Ours was a true flash flood event. It caught everyone by surprise. And it was gone just as quickly," Mehaffie said.

In the end, officials estimated the damage cost, including destroyed and damaged homes and other buildings, at more than $8 million. Federal agencies declared 210 structures affected, with 28 residential homes destroyed. A few days after the flood, President Bush issued an emergency declaration freeing federal funds to assist residents.

John Hischfeld had his share of loss. His business, Quality Ready Mix, sits in that quarry and was hit hard by the flood. It took days just to get to the point where they could reopen, months before they were in full swing.

"I believe it was April until we actually started producing concrete again. I'd say our total loss was probably in the area of $90,000 to $110,000," Hirchfeld said.

The rains brought the highest waters Bluffton had seen in decades, but the thing Hirchfeld and others recall most is the flood of help that came after the water receded.

"They've continued to help through the year. It's just a tough situation is all I can say. Everybody got shellacked here, but everybody helped out," Hirchfeld said.

Help came from neighbors and strangers. A Pandora man, Josh Huffman, was called a hero after pulling a 61-year-old woman and 11-year-old boy from the flooded creek. Residents were so quick to help clean up the village, some feared it would help their chances for federal aid.

"The community was fantastic. Part of the problem we had was the people were concerned we had things cleaned up so quickly they were afraid [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] would come in and not see the damage," Mehaffie said.

Since the cleanup, life in Bluffton has returned to normal. Village officials have purchased some of the properties that were flooded out in hopes of assuring it wouldn't happen again. The lone acknowledgment of the flood will be a grand reopening of Riley Creek Mercantile, one of the businesses most damaged by the flood. The business actually reopened in May, but decided to wait for the anniversary to celebrate it, Mehaffie said.