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Valley mother still cleaning up after her home was flooded during severe storms nearly two weeks ago

Posted at 4:32 PM, Aug 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-13 22:12:09-04

It has been more than a week since one monsoon storm moved through the Phoenix area, but worries have not washed away yet for one Valley family.

A single mother was forced out of her home by floodwaters and now, she wants to remind other people about the dangers these storms can rain down on us.

"The front of the house is probably a foot deep," Amy Reimhold said as she pointed out the damage at her home near 24th Street and Indian School Road.

There are sandbags still surrounding every nook and cranny, but Reimhold said those are not moving until monsoon is over next month.

"The water was pouring in from every door, every window and, of course, the baseboards, as well," Reimhold explained.

She said she used to love the rain - it reminded of the East Coast, where she is from. Now Reimhold said a rain drop can make her flinch.

Her change of heart is the result of her home going underwater on August 2 during a powerful storm.

Reimhold is a nurse and single mother, living her young son, Jack. She tried plugging each door and window with anything she could, but she finally realized, there was nothing she could do.

She grabbed him and ran to the street to wait for emergency services to arrive.

"Just to have those guys out, that Tuesday evening, was 5-grand," Reimhold said. "And I was cutting a check for that deposit that night in the rain on the porch."

Flood insurance was not a part of her policy. She said, someone at first told her it would all be covered. But, the ride on the emotional coaster took another dip when they called back, saying that was no longer true.

She was told the first person she talked to was mistaken. Since the water came from the ground and not the roof, she would have to pay for it all out of her own pocket.

Reimhold's friends decided they had to make themselves a part of a solution.

"When you hear it originally, you're thinking, 'Okay, maybe it's not as bad as it is,'" Kimberly Reedy explained. "But, then she started sending me pictures and I was like, 'Oh my gosh! Like, I can't even imagine."

Reedy is one of Reimhold's friends and she decided to organize a handful of people to come over Saturday morning to help clean up what is still left in the house.

As overwhelmed as Reimhold was with everything that happened, she now has a flood of emotions for her friends and strangers who stepped up.

"I wouldn't be here and well and able to carry forward as well as I am without all of these helpers," Reimhold said.

Her friends have also taken it one step further by setting up a GoFundMe page to help cover some of the insane costs Reimhold is now facing. Click here if you would like to help.