BRENTWOOD, Mo. — Recovery is still underway, nearly two years after historic flooding devastated Brentwood.
One nonprofit, the Little Bit Foundation, was destroyed in the floodwaters. Now, the organization is in a temporary location, while getting closer to moving into its new home.
President and CEO Miranda Walker Jones said the community was pivotal in stepping up and keeping the nonprofit afloat.
"When you saw the level of devastation, we knew that this was not going to be an overnight process," she said.
Jones remembers like it was yesterday, the four feet of running water that filled her nonprofit on July 26, 2022.
"It destroyed everything, so we had nothing. No pencils, not even a pencil to write with in our office. We lost 80% of everything in that building," she said.
It only took a matter of minutes for the givers to become the receivers. Jones said the Little Bit Foundation, which is known for helping students overcome education barriers, turned to their family for support.
"The community stepped up and we were able to get right back into the schools and take care of our students," she said.
Currently, the organization is in a temporary location, where Jones said, they're not only thriving, but growing.
"We were at 42 schools two years ago. We're now, by the end of this year, we'll be in 54 schools, so the flood did not stop us," she said.
The Little Bit Foundation was one of the many businesses inside Brentwood's Hanley Industrial Court devastated by the floodwaters, Mayor David Dimmitt said.
"In some places in the Deer Creek watershed, it was registered as a once in 1000-year rain event, so it was massive," he said.
Dimmitt said during that time, the city's $56 million flood mitigation plan was 70% complete.
"The design, in layman's terms of the flood mitigation, was to increase the holding capacity of this area of Brentwood for Deer Creek, so that when it would rain heavily, it wouldn't just immediately jump the banks. It would just act as a huge retention pond and hold the water until it could drain into River des Peres," he said.
The city's dealt with several rain events since then, and July 26, 2022, was the only time Deer Creek flooded onto Manchester, Dimmitt said.
Now 100% done, Dimmitt is confident his system can weather the next storm.
"The floods of 2022 were devastating for so many people throughout St. Louis. The one benefit it gave us was the opportunity to test our flood mitigation system, and what we found is that it passed with flying colors," he said.
The Little Bit Foundation is currently working on relocating to a warehouse in Maryland Heights. Jones said they hope to be fully moved in by the start of fall.