West Valley family grateful for help from neighbors after home floods
Aug 3, 2023, 10:04 AM | Updated: Aug 4, 2023, 11:01 am
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A West Valley City family says Wednesday’s quick-moving storm dumped feet of water into their basement, flooding it from floor to ceiling.
They said around 1:30 p.m., as they were packing up for a family trip, they realized water was quickly coming in through their window wells. They said the water reached about 10 feet high, flooding their basement and seeping into the second level of their split-level home.
“I just couldn’t believe it, just watching it happen,” Brian Porter said. “It was a waterfall, and it flooded into our basement. It was totally underwater within a few minutes.”
Before professional crews could arrive to remove the water, the community showed up in full force. Friends from the neighborhood, which is just west of Mountain View Corridor, came together to help this family.
“We have a great neighborhood, and we have great family that were willing to just drop everything and come out to help us,” Porter said.
The group spent most of the evening pumping out the massive amount of water and removing salvageable items from the home, bringing them outside.
“Everything in the waters, path was submerged and destroyed,” Porter said. “We tried to save some of it, but with the storm that has been going on, it’s been really difficult to do.”
The family believes the problem lies with a culvert behind their home that was inundated with rain.
“If there is a lot of water coming through pipes like that, there should be another place for it to go, not into somebody’s backyard,” Porter said.
The family is now working with their insurance company to see what’s next and what items can be salvaged. A GoFundMe account* has been set up to help with costs of damage.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
