Remembering the Flood of 2008 - A Family Business Perspective  
By: Sara Lipke  Harbor Recreation  www.harborrec.com  608.884.6007
a DOTR Biz Partner

The year of 2008 was a trying one to say the least.  Not only has our community suffered economic loss, Newville, Rock County, Southern Wisconsin and many other locations in our state endured a flood like no other in documented history.

Harbor Recreation’s story of the flood of 2008 actually began in August of 2007.  Rock River and Lake Koshkonong experienced an unusual flood during a time that our river and lake are thirsty for water and low water levels create a problem for fisherman and boaters in this area.  Many people had to cut their season short because the water did not recede until after Labor Day 2007.

We experienced an unusual amount of snow during the winter of 2007/2008. The boating season got a late start (that never really started) because of an early flood that lasted past Memorial Day weekend.  Memorial Day weekend is usually the kick off for the fishermen and boating enthusiasts that use the lake and river.  We did, however, have an O.K. start to the boat and engine selling season before the big flood.  Everything came to a complete halt in June.  People that use this water including Harbor Recreation, barely got a start to the season, and many did not, before the big flood.  

We had just finished installing our only non-floating dock, (which requires the use of our work boat and many shop employees, because of the length and size of this dock), on Wednesday, June 3rd.  By Sunday, June 7th we were in the process of removing the boards off of the dock. The water was rising rapidly and the dock boards were starting to float.   

We also spent time removing boats and making the necessary arrangements for customer boats that we already had in the water so they could survive the flood.  Our employees spent a lot of time securing other people’s property in and around the lake and river for the flood as well.  Many of which we just did, because it needed to be done, and we did not charge for much of the work that was done.

Friday June 13th was the day that we knew we were in peril and something had to be done.   We knew at that point the “river would run through it”.  We went into survival mode. All of my family, our employees, and many volunteers helped us pack boxes and move inventory off of the floor and to storage facilities that, fortunately, friends let us use.

Saturday June 14th we decided that we could not just watch this raging river.  We still had more to fight.  We were truly amazed at the volunteers and friends that came to help us. The volunteer efforts were un- measurable.  We did, however, endure many costs with sand, equipment, fuel and employees.

To this point, the cost of 12 employee wages, labor, equipment and materials to fight the flood approached $10,000. This is only reflective of the costs to fight the flood, not the loss of business. We laid our shop employees off on June 15th.  They were laid off for 3 weeks during prime boating season.  They suffered economic loss as well, with less pay and no overtime.  We continued the efforts with manning the pumps for pumping water out of the building 24/7.  We were fortunate to receive volunteers to help with this at times.  

Due to the sandbagging of our entire 7,500 sq. foot building, we were able to keep the water level to an average height of 3 inches of water inside the building.  If we would not have sand bagged, the building would have had at least 2-3 foot of water inside.  Luckily, we were able to keep our electricity and my parents were able to stay in their apartment above.

My parents, owners of Harbor Recreation, Jerry and Dolores Richardson, live year round in an apartment above the marina.  As I stated, they were able to stay in their home during this ordeal, but not without hardship.  In order to get to the building, wading through the flood, paddling a row-boat or catching a ride on our shop forklift were the only way to or from the building.  The tap water was not fit for human consumption or bathing during the flood.  Bathing, showering and laundry had to be done at other locations.  The un-easiness of living on the second floor of a building that was surrounded and flooded with water took a toll both mentally and physically.  My dad was also commander in charge for manning the pumps 24 hours a day.

During the flood, normal daily business activity and sales were at a minimum, phones rang seldom, but day to day paperwork (and bills) continued.  We did what we could in our boots and a waterlogged office.  I will say again, we were fortunate to be able to keep our electricity!

July 3rd. was the day we re-opened our front door.  Until that day, the only entry was through one shop door and that  couldn’t be done without getting your feet and most of your legs wet.  The water was still about 1½ inches high outside the door, but it looked like a red carpet compared to 3 feet we had outside the door just a few days prior.  We were closed on July 4th for the first time in Harbor Recreation’s 30 year history.  It was nice to spend Independence Day with families and friends, but certainly not what we wanted for the health of our business.

Clean up officially began July 8th.  We paid our 12 employees a total of at least 1 week each to clean with bleach, remove carpet, flooring, floor tiles, put inventory, tools and equipment back in place and many other tasks related to the flood.  The drinking water had to be tested and treated, some interior pluming work had to be done, some wall removal and our phones had major issues due to the flood.  It was weeks before our phone service was clear.  We continued the work outside the building with pressure washing, tree removal (of which 2 trees still need to be removed.  Somewhat due to age, but the flood surely did them in prematurely), re-seeding grass, repair and maintenance to the building, piers and equipment.

Some marine engine repair work returned, some flood damage work was called for, a few sales happened, but many people were dealing with flood issues of their own and boating issues were not priority.  Even though we opened our front door July 3rd.  The flooding continued and the water levels would not return to normal until August 20th, 2008.

Over half of our storage customers simply left their boats in storage.  We had to charge for the extra summer storage, but it is much more important for our business for people to be using and enjoying their boats in Wisconsin’s short summers, not in storage!  
 
We sell gas in a normal summer.  We sold some gas before the flood, but during and after the flood for many weeks we were without working pumps.  We had to replace the system, with used equipment, and labor, to the tune of $4500, not including my dad’s time involved with set up.

As I stated earlier, the flood waters in Newville were back to normal useable levels, August 20th, which was just a short time before Labor Day.  Unfortunately, many people consider that weekend the end of summer because of school and other fall commitments. Many people did try to salvage what they could of the season, of that, we are thankful.  We also had nice weather for fall, and of that too, we are thankful.  Be assured however, by Labor Day, the season is over in the marine business.  We then start to winterize.

We did have winterizing to do for those who used their boats and water equipment, but, because over ½ of the boats were in storage all summer, our winterizing work was down by at least ½ as well.  We tried to work on anything that paid so we could salvage the season and keep our employees…employed.  We typically do a lay-off period in the winter, which started a bit sooner for a few.  

With all the work trying to keep this “boat afloat”, so to speak, we have not completed repair to our building.  We had to remove all the tiles and carpet throughout the building to the bare cement after the flood.  What we are left with is many years of glue, adhesives and paint that will first have to be removed and then we will need to replace the flooring.  We can do most of the work ourselves.  Our plan at this time is to finish the floor with a material that should withstand another, God forbid, “one hundred year flood”.

Our costs relating to the flood are huge.  My parents have owned Harbor Recreation for 30 years and my dad has been in the marine business, in Newville, most all of his life.  I can honestly say, many people have been helped with marine related and not marine related problems from my dad, my family and Harbor Recreation.  Yes, we are in business to try and earn a living and make money, but helping others above and beyond the call of duty has been part of our daily operations since 1979.  The marine business is a very seasonal, recreational business that is susceptible to economic impacts and any adverse weather
related occurrences such as too high or too low of water at any level.  In 30 years, Harbor Recreation has endured a lot. My dad, my family and employees have truly enjoyed helping others enjoy boating, fishing and water sports throughout all of these years.