BELLE — Storms on April 4-6 resulted in four to six inches of heavy rainfall and flash flooding in Belle and surrounding areas over the weekend. Several businesses and homeowners reported rainwater entering through bathroom and basement pipes and seeping under thresholds. City officials on Monday warned residents of a sinkhole caused by storm water runoff on South Alvarado Avenue.

“I lived here all my life and I’ve never seen Alvarado flood like that. Four to six inches in the road, and the main was full and squirting out of the manhole on Alvarado,” said Mayor James (Pudd) Mitchell.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred across southern Missouri. The most rainfall occurred southeast of Springfield where some communities received eight to 10 inches and more localized amounts saw up to 12 inches. A significant amount of flash flooding occurred and creeks and rivers overflowed banks, especially across south central portions of the state.

Chase and Corina Jacquin, owners of the Axe House and Heavenly Homemade located on Alvarado Avenue experienced several inches of water bubbling up through the bottom of the toilet inside the boutique. Large amounts of rainwater flooded the Alvarado-facing entrance and poured in under the threshold. The manhole located in the middle of Alvarado Avenue shot water into the air.

The Jacquins had friends and family assist with mops and shop vacuums, eventually capping the toilet during an hour break in the rain to prevent more water from flowing inside. Rebecca Withouse, who was running for Ward 1 alderman, stopped by the shop to assist in the cleanup with her husband and family.

Corina Jacquin contacted the city when the water began flowing in, but officials said they were unable to help. Mitchell, who drives a school bus route, stopped before and after, along with the public works employees. While words were exchanged, and he expressed sympathy, Mitchell said there wasn’t a lot the city could do.

“People have got to realize we had eight to 10 inches of rain,” Mitchell said on Monday. “Where is it going to go? Call Owensville, they had the same issue. Bland. Gerald and Rosebud. I care about our town and I do things no other mayors do. I was out Saturday night until 2 a.m. in the morning with the guys (fixing a water issue). No other mayors do that. I feel sorry for everybody.”

Mitchell added that the public works employees Darin Guinn and Jim Goben checked to make sure storm grates on Johnson Avenue were clear, but discovered the water was overflowing because it couldn’t keep up. He said he feels bad for the public works department employees and business owners.

The Jacquins acknowledged it was a large amount of rain. Chase Jacquin, a former public works employee, said the water inflow and infiltration (I&I) problem was present in 2023, and former public works director Tony Baretich had been trying to fix it.

The city has focused on grants and raised water rates to attempt to fix the water infrastructure, but the going is slow. The Jacquins are upset.

“I’m sad. Upset. It’s something that should have never happened, and now I’m dealing with the repercussions of someone else’s negligence. It’s heartbreaking,” Corina Jacquin said.

After capping the toilet, friends and family brought fans to help dry out the floor, but a lot of the merchandise was lost.

Across the street, Arline White at Grandma’s Attic experienced a similar flood. Belle Fire Protection District was called to assist and help cap her toilet. Similar calls were pouring into City Hall from across town Mitchell said, adding that he had responded to a few.

The mayor said the I&I problem has been there for a long time.

“That’s not something that’s going to be fixed in six months or a year,” he said. “That’s a long time and takes a lot of money.”

Mitchell said the city received another $55,000 grant to conduct I&I studies in addition to the $1 million grant for infrastructure repair and replacement.

“We’ve got a $55,000 grant to do the study with DNR (Department of Natural Resources) on these manholes and infrastructure, for the engineering of it,” Mitchell said. “Check manholes, mains, and everything else. We are just waiting for them to allocate the money.

“We’re going to put in flow meters on Taylor Street, Bledsoe and Johnson that’s going to tell us how much rainwater we get,” Mitchell said. “We think a lot of I&I is coming from Fourth Street and Taylor. Taylor Street, I’d be willing to bet every bit of that’s clay (pipes) and we have to run it every so often for maintenance. We get roots out of it, so we know it has cracks. If we can get it scoped out, they can come in and replace it. We have manholes that need to be lined and lids that need to be raised.”

On Monday, a post on the City of Belle’s Facebook page warned citizens to avoid the low-water bridge over South Alvarado Avenue. Mitchell said portions of the road sank and fell through to the small creek below.

“It’s just undermined the road and culvert pipe and there is a hole there,” Mitchell said.

He noticed the road had what he thought was a big pothole on Friday during the rain.

“I went by there Friday and seen the hole in the asphalt,” Mitchell said. “We put a cone out so no one would run off in it. We went there today (April 7) and really got to look at that. It’s really not good.”

The hole had expanded to nearly five feet in length and dropped about four feet through the road, with another 18-inch drop to the creek below. The fix won’t be cheap.

“We’re looking at a box culvert, seven feet wide and four fee deep,” Mitchell said, adding a company in St. Louis makes them by special order. “It would run across the road in eight-foot sections.”

Mitchell said the city may have to hire the work out to a road company. He isn’t sure where the money will come from

“We can put a bandaid on it, but another big rain and then what happens?” He asked.

The road is currently closed with large concrete blocks stationed on either side of the crossing.

“I shut it down because gas trucks and school buses run across that bridge. God forbid, what if something happened?”