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MIDLAND, Mich. — As flooding recovery efforts continued in Mid-Michigan, restoration companies descended upon Midland to help families salvage what was left of their homes.
Midland-owned franchise ServiceMasters by Fuson was one company that has seen an overwhelming demand that has forced them to call for back-up.
“You can see the discoloration of the wood paneling,” said Shawn Warren.
He showed the water damage of a Midland home flooded by a foot of water.
Warren, a project manager for ServiceMaster by Fuson, said his crews arrived at the house Friday, May 22, 2020, to haul out the contents of the basement and remove moisture from the walls and flooring.
“The recovery now is devastating,” he said.
Cheryl Brown watched as Warren’s team tossed her parents’ belongings into a heap on their curb, many of the items still dripping with flood water.
“There’s a lot of things that will have to go, unfortunately,” Brown said.
She grew up in the house and said her parents owned it for 40-odd years, but they were in Florida when the historic flood came through the neighborhood.
Brown was left to search for sentimental items that may have survived the water.
“I was just looking at some of the quilts and baby blankets that were sewn by my grandmother,” she said. “I don’t think they’re going to be able to be saved.”
But not all was lost. Brown said thanks to quick action by a neighbor, her mother’s wedding dress, tucked away inside a cedar chest, might still be salvageable.
“It’s probably going to need some restoration, but it’s still there,” she said.
Brown’s childhood home was far from the only damaged one on the block. On Friday, neighbors up and down the street piled their soaked belongings into big heaps. Some had drywall soaked through. Others contained mangled furniture and kids toys – remnants of memories destined for the garbage.
“It’s not easy to lose your home, especially during COVID-19,” Warren said.
He explained how emotional many of his customers were and said for many homeowners, the devastation was furthered by the fact that they didn’t have flood insurance.
Warren said depending on the level of damage, ServiceMasters’ services could cost between $8,000 and $10,000.
The company’s teams worked 12- to 16-hour shifts to clean as many homes as possible, Warren said, remediating about 10 buildings a day. The company called in 20-30 crews across the country to help, bringing in an additional 60 to 100 workers, according to Warren.
He said their goal was to clean as many as 20-30 homes a day.
“These are our neighbors, these are our families, these are our friends, and we have to act fast,” he said. “We have to make sure they’re taken care of.”
This article was taken directly from WWMT. Click here for the full article on their website.
