OWEGO, N.Y. -- It was the second "100-year flood" in a span of 5 years.
To this day, the entire Southern Tier, especially the village of Owego, continues to recover.
"Close to 95 percent of the businesses in town took on water," Owego Central School District Superintendent Dr. Bill Russell said. "The area all the way up here from the Susquehanna River was underwater for some neighborhoods for four, five, six days."
Perhaps the biggest challenge for the village was the loss of its elementary school.
Officials say roadblocks and challenges with FEMA left them seeking answers.
However, after finally securing funding, nearly five years later the brand new school was opened to the public.
"It's just wonderful," Principal Laurie McKeveny said. "It's been such a long journey and we at times felt like we'd never get here, but we have and it's just great."
Students who were removed from their original school in 2011 say they couldn't be happier to have a place to call home.
"I feel safe and secure and I know I'm going to be here until the end of 5th grade," said Samuel Cunningham, 4th Grade Student.
For close to five years, children traveled to Union-Endicott for classes, making their days longer and putting a strain on their education.
"When you're fragmented and in different places it just leaves you feeling like you always want the others to be with you and that was the best part of coming back was coming together under one roof," said McKeveny.
Left behind are the remaining bricks from the original flooded elementary school.
Teachers and staff say they hope the new building symbolizes hope and strength for the entire community.
"It takes a great spirit and a great sense of hope on the part of a community to get through something like this, and they did," said McKeveny.
The school principal says she hopes that spirit will continue to live on with students for generations.
The school now plans to build a new administration building and a maintenance and storage center.