(01/15/2020) - Record-high water levels over the weekend flooded homes along the Kawkawlin River and Saginaw Bay
On Tuesday night, Bangor Township board unanimously passed a resolution asking the state for help.
In the meantime, people are still recovering, and the road ahead is a long one.
With river water coming in, it's more than just water entering. It's also bacteria. When that happens along the Kawkawlin river, it means removing all wet material, and that could cost thousands of dollars in recovery.
Virginia Ludy lives along the Kawkawlin River. She says she noticed the water rise but then recede earlier in the day on Saturday, but then the high winds came in the evening, and water started to surround her home.
"As the water levels went up around the house, you see it coming in or above the window levels of the basement, and the retaining around egress and things like that. At some point, you just go, nothing is keeping up, and it's a losing battle," Ludy said.
32 inches of water destroyed her furnace, water heater, and a washer and dryer that she bought less than a year ago. Everything must come out.
Days later, emotions continue to run high.
"I was down here trying to keep water or keep it contained a little bit, so it didn't get really deep and things like that. Working in this area around the egress window and trying to get that taken care of, and then you walk around the corner and go to check out the sump pump and water is just squirting out of it, so you just go, peace out. I'm done. There's nothing I can do," Ludy said.
Now, she's calling a restoration company.
Shawn Warren is a project manager for ServiceMaster Tri-Counties.
He says an important step to take ahead of a possible flood is reaching out to your insurance agent and fully understand the coverage you have.
"If your furnace is in your basement, if your furnace is in your crawl space, hot water heater, appliances, if you don't have that rider, and your sump pump fails, and you take on two feet of water, your insurance won't cover anything because it wasn't in your policy," Warren said.
Warren says ServiceMaster will provide free estimates and if you're looking for advice ahead of a future storm, you can give them a call.