METAMORA, Ind. — Metamora residents and shopkeepers got access to the hardest-hit parts of town Friday as floodwaters from the Whitewater River receded back within its banks.
We watched as dozens of people pulled everything that had sat in at least two and a half feet of muddy water out of the first floor of buildings into their front yards to either dry or be thrown out.
Minutes after Duke Energy restored the power to The Village Smith, we talked with manager Shyla Beard on floors stained with muddy footprints.
"I've lived here my whole life, so seeing all of this, seeing all the pictures of the water, has been devastating," Beard said.
WATCH: Metamora residents come together to rebuild following the flood
Beard said the heavy lifting has been difficult, but people have pitched in to help their neighbors wherever possible.
We found Connie Ragle mopping the floor of the Canine Crunch Company and asked whether it was her store. She said no; her store, Granny's Cookie Jars and Ice Cream, was unaffected, but she was not going to watch her neighbors struggle alone.
"We're like a big family," Ragle said. "I mean, everybody chips in and helps everybody out."
Ragle called on anyone who can to visit the village and help with the debris removal and cleaning because much of the population in town is elderly.
"Physical labor down here is hard because most everybody down here is retired," she said.
Many were happy that the United States' only surviving wood-covered aqueduct, a key tourist attraction for the town, remained standing after the storm.
Just outside of town, we also revisited the Friends of Franklin County Animal Shelter. The animals inside had been evacuated Wednesday as a precaution.
Volunteer Beth Wade told us the shelter was spared damage.
"It got very close, but it did not reach it," Wade said.
The shelter began welcoming evacuated animals back on Friday, but warned that rescues and surrenders from flood-devastated portions of the county were pushing the shelter to its limits.
The silver lining, Wade said, was at least five animals taken in by fosters had been formally adopted.
"We're thrilled about that, and that is really needed because now we need those spaces for the rescues that are happening in Laurel or Metamora."
Wade asked anyone who wanted to help with the county's animal shelter capacity issues to follow them on Facebook or call to find out the best ways to help.
