Wiped out by the flood
By William Smith, The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Cain lost nearly everything when the
There are a few houses in
"I've called
Unlike the Flood of 2008 and the Flood of 1993, the
Cain was on vacation as the river rose. When she returned, her living room was under 2 feet of water. She was able to get access to the house just a few days ago.
"Everything is starting to grow mold on it something fierce, and I can't do all of this (cleanup) myself," she said with tears in her eyes. "I have a lot of friends who are going to help me clean up, but I can't even get a Dumpster out here because the ground is so soft."
Cain lives in a little yellow house on
It was converted into a grocery store in the 1960s, and that's when the
"This house has a lot of history," Cain said.
Cain and her ex-husband purchased it in 1985 shortly after moving to the area from
"It was bad, but we had a chance to get everything out," Cain said.
Cain and her ex-husband separated in the late 1980s, but the house stayed in her ex-husband's name. She was able to buy it from him last August, marking the start of a long cleanup process. It had remained neglected after the Flood of 2008, and was overgrown with weeds and brush.
"You couldn't even see the house from the road because it was so overgrown," Cain said.
Cain has been renovating the house and accompanying garage for the past year, dropping more than
Since Cain was in the process of putting tile on the floor when the latest flood hit, nearly everything she owned was in the flooded garage. Everything else is strewn across the living room floor, caked in mud and virgin mold spores.
"There's my new TV. Never out of the box," Cain said while pointing to a 51-inch TV on the floor. "There's
Cain had big plans for the house that went far beyond her living in it. She was hoping to turn into a bait store/candy shop, using that money to build a house on stilts behind it. She is eligible for flood insurance since the house sits above the flood plain, but she never bought any.
"I can't afford flood insurance. They want
With no place to sleep, Cain spent a few nights camping next to the
She's meeting with the
She said the cleanup supplies are much appreciated, but it's not enough.
"All I have is a book bag full of clothes and camping stuff. That's all I have," Cain said.
Her constant companion, a large Pyrenees/labrador mix by the name of Bear, has lost his home as well. Cain was offered shelter at
"He knows something is wrong," she said.
Though Cain is down now, she's far from out. As a member of the ABATE (A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education) motorcycle club, she has plenty of good-hearted biker friends who want to help her with the cleanup. One day, that little yellow house will look like it did before the flood.
"People who are river rats, this is why we come to the river. We love the river," she said. "I'm coming back. This house has too much history. I raised my babies here."
To offer help, call Cain at (319) 457-1317.
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