Residents are still displaced from their homes more than a month after rapid snow melt and historic rain caused mass flooding across the state.
In Cadillac, Michigan, roads were washed out and entire neighborhoods sat in water. Flower Butler is one resident whose home sat in water for days.
The water drained more than a month ago, but Butler says her home has been “rotting” in the sun since. She said multiple contractors have tried assessing the damage.
“One said he's not going to walk through, like it's not safe to walk in,” Butler said. “The other said that it's definitely a total loss.”
Butler said her entire house has water damage. She said she plans on demolishing the home because it would be cheaper than repairing it.
“We obviously won't be able to afford two mortgages,” she said. Butler said she’ll still have to pay on her house even when it’s gone. “I'm not sure what we're going to be doing yet.”
Butler said she's applied for relief but has only received minimal assistance from the Red Cross. She is one of many Michiganders who are grappling with the aftermath of the flood and it's unknown cost.
Judy Allison is a longtime Cadillac resident whose century-old home sat in multiple feet of water for over a week. The water is gone, but she says everything is completely destroyed.
“Kind of makes you sick every time I go by or if I have to go in,” Allison said. “It’s just years of stuff that I can never get back…it's just hard.”
Allison said she’s taking recovery day-by-day with the support of her family. But without flood insurance she says she doesn't know what she will do with her home.
Families’ and friends have started GoFundMe’s for both Butler and Allison.
WCMU's Rural Life and Agriculture reporting is made possible through the generous support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
