Family Begins Flood Clean Up
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| 4/20/2009 |
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| Most of the flood water has receded, leaving behind a mess that will take a long time to clean up. Anything that got wet should be disposed of or sanitized. A family just east of Sawyer finally got back into their home this week and are getting ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. "There were all but about four inches of it under water. It was an amazing amount of water. The whole farm was covered," says Emily Tescher -Johnston. Emily Tescher -Johnston and her husband Doug have quite a story to tell. Last week, water from the swollen Souris river completely surrounded their home. "So it just came up over this dike and that dike and just filled the farm yard," says Tescher -Johnston. Now, its clean up time. "First of all, we called our insurance agent and then FEMA has been here to take a quick look," says Tescher -Johnston. The sandbags kept their home dry but their well, septic system, and yard are nearly a complete loss. The well has been contaminated with river water. Once the water drains, they will have to sanitize it. Like everything on their property, it is going to take time. "Start with getting the debris, garbage out of the yard and pressure wash the shop and barn and start to put stuff back where it goes," says Tescher -Johnston. And that is just the beginning. There are more than 10,000 sandbags surrounding their home. The Johnston`s have a use for the sand, but the bags are contaminated and will need to be thrown away. "It is going to be a long process, bag by bag. There is what, 10,000 bags here? Each one will have to be opened with a knife or by hand and disposed," says Doug. The Johnstons know the clean up process will be long and tiring, but they say, now they have quite a story to tell. The Johnston`s do have flood insurance so some of the damage will be covered. |
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