HELENA — On Monday, the sounds of whirling fans could be heard on the ground floor of the Professional Plaza building on N. Montana Ave. in Helena. The floors were being dried out after a Feb. 22 water main break flooded the building.
Aglow Pauls is the operator of Glo Massage Therapy, which called the ground floor of the building home.
“I did not expect rushing water when I got the call to move my stuff. I expected a sloppy mess, a couple of inches of water. But when you walk in, and I didn’t even have the right shoes on, and you’re sloshing through water, and it is cold, I think shock was the first thing,” said Pauls.
Pauls rents space in the building for her massage therapy business and is one of several tenants in the building. She heard from the building’s property manager at approximately 6 pm Saturday, notifying her of the flood. By the time she arrived, her office was full of water.
“I walked into my office; the wall was caved in. There was sand, mud, and water gushing out,” said Pauls.
(Watch the video to hear more from Pauls about the flooding)
Pauls quickly got to work moving work equipment out of her flooded office and into her garage. For now, she’ll continue to see customers out of her house, which is a temporary fix as she works to find a new permanent office space for her business.
“I’m a small business, so I need a space, and I can’t work for 6 months out of my house. That pushes me forward to find a new space now," she explained.
As Pauls works to find a new home for her business, crews continue to work to clean up the damage at the building.
