Companies rebuild after being ripped apart by tornado

Bankston Heating and Air Conditioning and DeLong Plumbing once shared the same building. Now they share a common problem recovering from the tornado that swept through Battlefield on May 4.

Mike Bankston and Garry DeLong shared the building at 4244 W. Third from 1992 to 1998. In 1998 Bankston sold his half of the building to DeLong and purchased the neighboring location at 4233 W. Third.

Both buildings were destroyed May 4.

Bankston

Mike Bankston got his start working out of his home in 1986. Now he and his wife Catherine own Bankston Heating and Air Conditioning. The company has about eight employees who help service the Springfield area.

When the storm hit on May 4, the company lost two buildings and at least five vehicles. The company was in the process of expanding having purchased an adjacent location last winter when the storm made a direct hit, Bankston said.

A 2002 Ford van purchased on April 28 and still awaiting its title now sits severely damaged on the lot. A more sentimental loss, Bankston said, was the company's first truck, which was damaged beyond repair when a roof landed on it.

After the storm, employees spent about 10 days salvaging materials from around the shop.

Estimated losses are at least $250,000, but it is unclear how much of the damages will be covered by insurance, Bankston said. Nixon & Lindstrom Insurance is covering the cost of rent at a temporary location at 3341 S. Scenic. Plans for a new building are under way, but Bankston said it will be a long process with many ups and downs. Despite the damage, Bankston said it could have been worse.

"At least it wasn't my home. I'd much rather be on this side of it than that side of it. At least I can go home at night," he said.

The company is back on schedule and has even picked up business from homeowners fixing damaged homes a situation Bankston can empathize with.

DeLong Plumbing

Garry DeLong first got word the tornado hit his business when someone called and said they'd found an invoice from the company in their yard. In addition to many lost records and the 3,500-square-foot building, other damage includes at least eight vehicles and $5,000 worth of repair to the company's backhoe. DeLong also lost a rental house and storage building in the area.

Estimated damages for the company is about $300,000, DeLong said. About half of the damage will be covered by insurance. DeLong said he is waiting on loan applications to come back to help with rebuilding and repair costs of nearly $150,000.

With a 30-year history in the plumbing profession, DeLong said the latest damage will not stop him from doing business. One challenge DeLong faced was informing the public that the company was still in business after the storm.

"You look at the building and look at the trucks with rubble piled around them and you kind of go, Whoa,'" DeLong said. "The building's down but we're not."

By 10 a.m. the day after the storm the damaged trucks were being repaired and business was continuing. Now, nearly a month later, business is back on schedule. DeLong said it will still be another six months before everything is back to normal for him.

The company is now operating under a sixth-month lease at 2851 S. Campbell.

DeLong Plumbing recently expanded from an LLC to a corporation. The company was slowly changing its name to DeLong Plumbing Too before the storm, but the name is now official.

Plans are to rebuild in Battlefield if the process continues to be smooth.

"I don't need any more grief. I've got to try and make up a loss of $150,000 and I can't have any more adversity affecting that.

"It's been almost a month now and we are just about to the point (where we can) figure out what's good, what's bad and what's been blown away," DeLong said.

Sharing the experience

Both businessmen say a strong sense of support came from the city of Battlefield and the surrounding area as they worked to recover their lost property.

"When my competition in town found out, they called me and offered office space, storage space and offered to help clean up," DeLong said. "The encouragement that gives you just makes you feel so good that you can go out and handle a lot more."

Continued patience from builders helped Bankston as he took time to dig through the rubble and salvage what he could.

"We've been extremely grateful because (customers) have waited on us for the most part. Our builders that we work for have been very gracious," Bankston said.

Now Bankston and DeLong are working on plans to rebuild. During a special May 27 meeting of the Battlefield Board of Aldermen, board members voted to allow all houses and businesses to rebuild exactly where they were before the storm. Businesses must be updated to follow new building codes and cannot be larger than the original footprint. DeLong said it is encouraging to know the city will allow reconstruction.

DeLong is considering adding a second story to his new Battlefield building, but plans have not been finalized.

Bankston said he plans to rebuild in Battlefield, but the whole process is bittersweet.

"I'll end up with a new building out of this and that's great, but the downside is just trying to deal with it all and trying to deal with business at the same time. I don't ever want to see this happen to me again," Bankston said.