SIOUX CITY, IA -
Jolly Rogers had opened its doors just three weeks before the flood started. Jesse Miller was the manager. He watched the restaurant literally go under.
"We were amazed, we couldn't believe that the water could go that high," Miller said.
But the water did go that high. Soon volunteers, staff, and Miller himself, were shoveling sand into bags, building a barrier around the restaurant.
"We didn't know if our work would hold, and if we'd come back to a job or not," he said.
Miller says the water rose to about the height of one of the tables outside, luckily the building didn't sustain too much water damage. They lost the electrical work, and plumbing, but the bar, which is made out of concrete, was sturdy enough to withstand the rising water. Miller says everyone is happy to be back to work.
"All of us appreciate our jobs more than we did before and we were all thankful to come back to work after be laid off for three months during the summer. Everyone is happy to get up and come to work," said Miller.
With a new white picket fence and tropical trees that light up during the night, this restaurant is feeling Jolly once again.
"They say it was a 500 year flood, so hopefully we're good for another 500 years," he said.
