DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Downtown businesses are learning the steps they need to take to re-open.
Representatives from public works, community planning, and the health department met with business owners Thursday morning, May 9th, to walk them through the process of safely re-entering their businesses. They also went over a list of permits needed in order to move forward with any kind of re-opening.
Dylan Steil, co-owner of ROAM, is still waiting for water to get out of their building. Steil said adjusters will not come until the water is completely out.
"Paper work's coming," Steil said. "And I'm definitely not looking forward to that. I'll probably be happier with a pair of waders on, with my hands in the water, than I will be with a pen filling out forms."
Pete Stopulos is a landlord to five flooded businesses near the breach.
"It's overwhelming for everybody," Stopulos said. "It`s been a long couple months now."
"We invested our homes into this building you know? Our homes are on the line. Our personal finances are on the line. And we’ve got no loss of business income right now," Steil said. "Insurance isn't going to cover it all. So we're focused on our employees right now but going down the road, we're going to need that FEMA declaration to help with the rebuild."
City leaders said they applied for the Presidential Disaster Proclamation before the HESCO breach on April 30th. As of May 9, they were still waiting for that to be granted.
"Property is property," Stopulos said. "We can replace drywall, we can replace tile. It's the lives that have been affected by being out of work for a period of time."
