The message was correct; here's proof:
By the looks of the picture, I'd say the water was about 3' deep in the garage. That, of course, completely flooded the lower level of the split-level home.
Having seen about 1,000 other homes in the same or even worse condition here in Cedar Rapids two years ago, I sympathize with them. There will be a LOT of work ahead for them and their neighbors.
The good news:
- The house certainly appears to be repairable. (It could have been even worse.)
- They have their trailer to live in while the house is being repaired.
April 4th Correction!
Sorry about the errors above. Here's the word, right from the source. (But it is still BAAAAD news for Don and Dorothy, but not nearly as bad as I had painted it above. I assumed the picture was of their house.)
The picture you published is not our house. It is the guy across the road. You can see the back of our sandbags in the foreground. With the help of about 5000 sandbags and about a dozen pumps we have limited our interior damage to a couple of wet carpets in the basement. There will be considerable damage outside and in our outbuildings. We have continued to stay in the house to mind pumps etc. The water has now receded about a foot from the high point but we have at least 2 more feet to go. Drainage is very slow and I expect at least another month before much can be done. We hope to be able to progress to the point we can return to RV35 next fall but we do not know at this point.Don Bogue
