The old adage “rain, rain go away come again another day” could never be more true than it is right now.
Being at significant flood stage for more than 110 days, seep water in southern Illinois, and consistent rain and storms have really taken a toll on our area. Consider just a few of these examples of impact to our local economy.
First and foremost, residents affected by the flood waters and storms are dealing with costly damage and clean up. Many southern Illinois residents work in the Cape/Jackson metro and have faced drastically increased commute times and cost.
Retail business has been affected as getting to our area is a real challenge. And at a time when Illinois has doubled gas taxes, our local convenience stores have not been able to take full advantage of the positive effects this will have long term.
The agricultural industry has felt the effects of one of the wettest springs on record. Rainfall has delayed, or completely changed crop production in many cases. Timing could not have been worse coming on the heels of some of the trade and tariff issues.
Rainfall and storms on the weekends have forced the cancellation of several local sports tournaments resulting in lost hotel revenue and local spending in restaurants and retail outlets. We’ve seen this manifest itself in some of our recent hotel revenue numbers.
No doubt our area will rebound and stay strong. But let’s hope we get a water break for a while.
