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Fruitport house flooded with 3+ feet of water

Posted at 11:28 PM, May 20, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-20 23:28:02-04

A homeowner in Fruitport has more than 3 feet of water in his basement. It's the worst their family has seen in the 5 years of living at the house, located off of Marva Avenue.

Ryan VanTreese now worries the home may be condemned in the future, with mold and mildew build-up.

"This is unprecedented. I have never seen standing water in my backyard. So, this caught us totally off guard," said VanTreese, who currently is in the process of pumping the water out of his home.

Early Monday morning at around 3 a.m., high water alarms began going off in the family's basement. VanTreese saw water pouring through door jams and coming up through the floor.

"We have never seen anything like that. It hasn't flooded this bad ever. We tried to fight it off as best we could, and then realized that it was a losing battle."

The couple then switched gears, trying to save as much as they could from any water damage.

The water is currently so high, more than 41 inches, that it is touching the electrical panel. It's deemed unsafe for them to be inside.

"We are, you know, without a home right now. We're just trying to save as much stuff as we can."

It could take several weeks for the family to drain their home, let alone for the water to entirely try up. They worry mold and mildew could creep up into the joists of the home and the baseboards.

"If it gets to that point, I'm afraid the house is going to be condemned."

VanTreese does not live on a flood plain and did not purchase flood insurance. Even if he did, he says it only would have covered $10,000 in damages, a sum he's far exceeded at this time.

If you would like to help the VanTreese's through a donation, you can find click here.