‘It’s going to take a lot more than water’: Small business reopens six months after devastating floods

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Six months after flooding rocked many areas of Eastern Kentucky, a small, family-owned business in the Garrett area of Floyd County has officially reopened.

In July, Garrett was one of many communities hit with flooding, and the Hanekamp’s home and small business, Hanekamp Manor Bikes & Books, were not spared.

“Seeing the water come up and hearing the building groaning it was kind of like our future goals were just being almost, figuratively, flushed down the toilet,” said Deedra Hanekamp. “We knew the water was in our home, and we could hear it going in the business. We knew that that was our source of income, and it was just being washed away.”

Following the floods, the Hanekamps focused on rebuilding their home and returned by Thanksgiving of 2022 and continued their work to reopen the business.

“I love the small community, I love our community, there’s not much here,” said Onas Hanekamp. “We’re trying to bring some life back into the community and keep what little life is here, we’re trying to keep it here.”

On Monday, Jan. 30, Hanekamp Manor Bikes & Books officially reopened its doors.

“It’s going to take a lot more than water, a lot more than mud, yeah, it was devastating, but it’s going to take a lot more than water to get us out of here,” said Onas Hanekamo. “To me, there was never a question of if we should tear it down, should we move it, it was never a question. We’ll rebuild what we’ve got.”

The Hanekamps also said they would like to thank each and every person who helped them along their journey and the first responders who saved their lives during the floods.

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