DAVENPORT, Iowa — April 30, 2023 marks the 4-year anniversary of the 2019 flood of the Mississippi River.
Davenport's riverfront was flooded after a temporary flood wall broke on Pershing Avenue, pouring across streets and onto ground floors of buildings.
The restaurant's security camera footage showed the dramatic moment where the levee broke. People and cars hastily fled the area as water rushed into the parking lot.
Later that year, Stompbox Brewing announced it would move into the space and opened in 2020.
The brewery's co-owner Jamie Prickett recalled memories of the 2019 flood when talking with News 8's Jonathan Fong.
"Drove by ROAM, I think that day, about 15 minutes before that occurred," Prickett said. "Certainly not expecting to see the flood barrier that had been put up, fail and see this parking lot fill up with water."
Now four years later in 2023, with the river making a near-record level crest, Prickett is confident that the city is prepared.
"We have confidence that this thing is going to hold up," Prickett said. "Worrying about it at this point doesn't do a lot of good, because we certainly can't control that outcome."
He said he's thankful for added support from the community.
"If anything, I think we've been as busy if not busier than usual," he said. "There's people posting things on Facebook and Instagram about trying to make sure that you continue to come to downtown Davenport and patronize the businesses that are down here... business has been good. Thankful for that."
Prickett wanted his business to make the most of the situation. In what he described as humorous timing, their brewery also recently launched a new beer called "When the Levee Breaks."
"Ties into the musical reference with it being a Led Zeppelin song title and we're kind of a musically themed brewery," he explained. "Hopefully, maybe it'll at least make people smile a little bit."