Her house looked clean when we first walked in. A few things were piled on the table where they had been moved above the water line, but at first glance it didn’t seem too bad.

Then we started looking closer.

The beautiful hardwood floors were warped from the water, and a faint water line stretched around the walls, about six inches above the floor. “These floors were installed 20 years ago,” she told us.

We got to work, pulling up the damaged flooring and cutting out the drywall high enough to remove the soaked insulation hidden behind it. We helped her pack up boxes of clothes, food, and kitchen items, and started the process of removing the lower kitchen cabinets.

As we worked, they told us about the day the flood came.

“We tried to sweep the water back out,” they said. “But it just kept coming back in, so we finally gave up and left.”

Their home sat under water for nearly 18 hours before it finally drained away as the floodwaters found somewhere to go.

There is so much work to do here. Many families are facing the difficult task of starting over in their homes, and we are grateful to be here and play a small part in bringing restoration to this community.