“Heartbreaking devastation” were words uttered by long-time owner Angie Petersen of Angie’s Tea Garden following the scene she walked into in her business February 5th.

Petersen tells Raccoon Valley Radio a waterline broke in the vacant second-story apartment above her business it was estimated that about 4,000-gallons of water seeped down into the main floor of the building and into the basement, where she’s rented the space for the restaurant for 19 ½-years. She recounts when she first encountered the scene that day.

“Oh well it was devastation really. It ruined all three floors. It was heartbreaking just to see how much can happen with water the damage. It was like walking into 50 garden hoses going off and over your head and you thought ‘What happened?’ And then you look around and it’s just all gone.”

Petersen says the most affected area was the kitchen and most of the equipment wasn’t salvageable. Despite the fact that the restaurant has been closed since February 5th, Petersen points out that the community support has been, in a word, overwhelming.

“I can’t thank Jefferson and the surrounding communities enough. The city leaders and just everyone for ideas, help and hope, just hope. It was nice to hear. I know everybody’s out there wanting to help and everything but at this time, it’s just, there’s not much they can do. It’s kind of a dangerous place to be. It’s icy, it’s dark, there’s no heat. But I appreciate everybody willing to help.”

Petersen says she has renter’s insurance and is working with them, along with the building owner’s insurance about the damage. She adds that the business will remain closed for the foreseeable future.