Family still displaced by flooding one year later

Suzanne Friend and her husband, John, visit their home twice a day to take care of their animals. They play with their dog, Scout, and their cats allow their people to pet them. But it’s always temporary, and they have to leave.

The flooding in September 2013 left their basement filled with 3 1/2 feet of water. But that wasn’t the only problem they faced. Rain during the flooding and throughout the year has seeped into the back wall of the home.

“The beams in the corner, when we pulled out the drywall, were spongy soft,” said Friend. “I’m just assuming structurally, we’ve got a pretty big problem.”

Friend and her husband filed a complaint with the city of Pocatello, claiming if the city had properly maintained the storm drain in the park nearby, the flooding in their basement wouldn’t have been so bad. For that story, click here: bit.ly/1nInV6t.

Friend said since the city will not and has not paid, they are stuck paying a mortgage on a house they can’t live in. They’re currently house-sitting in a duplex, but any expendable income isn’t available to now to pay for repairs.

“If we can get a contractor out here and give us an estimate of what it would cost to redo [one supporting beam] and get rid of some mold that’s also on this wall in the kitchen, then get the roof redone, then we can move back in to the ground floor of the house,” she said.

Friend said overall, their situation has been very difficult, but they are just grateful for the support they have received and will receive.

Friend’s husband John has set up a Go Fund Me account to help start off the repairs. Their goal is $25,000, and they made a video to go along with it. Follow this link to find their Go Fund Me site: gofundme.com/esrgbc.