Maybe “celebration” was the wrong word for anyone at Monday night’s City Council meeting to use when talking about recognizing 10 years since the 1999 flood that devastated downtown Franklin.

That doesn’t change the fact that something should be done to acknowledge those dark days and the community spirit that followed.

When Hurricane Floyd caused the Blackwater River to overflow its banks and engulf the downtown business district, the distraught residents of Franklin came together to help each other. The aftereffects of the flood — both good and bad — can still be felt today.

It was a sad chapter in the city’s history, but Mayor Jim Councill is right: Franklin should commemorate the city’s wonderful recovery from the flood 10 years ago.

Maybe we should look at how residents of Iowa recently commemorated their devastating flood from just one year ago.

Events included a flag raising, fundraising for rebuilding efforts, a video showing photos from the flood and recovery efforts and a community memory wall. At the University of Iowa, officials gave remarks during the school’s flood commemoration, aptly titled, “Remember, Reimagine, Rebuild.”

A local reflection doesn’t mean that we have to ignore that people are still recovering and that some businesses are gone forever.

It just means that we should acknowledge the past, realize the present and feel hope about the future.