Orem family cleans up after storm water breaks down window
Aug 16, 2024, 5:46 PM | Updated: 6:02 pm
OREM — Some homeowners in Orem are still cleaning up from Tuesday’s storm while preparing for more wet weather that could come during the weekend.
The Redd family is putting out sandbags just in case they get hit again. The monsoon caught the family off guard as water and hail came crashing into their basement, which was used as a mother-in-law’s apartment for her extended family.
“We have a mother-in-law’s apartment. We’ve got to go check on grandma and grandpa’s house. So we ran over and noticed, you know, some leaking,” said Whitney Redd.
Redds said the storm came in quickly. She and her kids started trying to remove electronics and anything else that could be water-damaged from the basement.
“My husband was trying to get into the window, trying to get the hail out, trying to get the rain out, just trying to get things out,” Reed said.
But the pressure on the window was too much, and Reed’s husband came downstairs to warn everyone to get out.
“I was thinking like, okay, the window’s going to break, and there’s going to be water. I just, but then it went and I had no idea it was going to be that big. Just unbelievable,” Reed said.
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Afterward, family and neighbors cleared out the apartment’s basement, removing the plank flooring and nearly everything else. Redd said that, thankfully, no one was hurt.
“You know how this can be replaced, people get. So I’m just grateful that everyone got out,” she said.
The in-laws finished and moved into the apartment just a few months ago, so flood insurance wasn’t purchased since it’s an added-on policy. The family set up a GoFundMe* to help cover the damages.
Residents north of Utah Lake assess large hail damage after record-breaking storm
*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.
