BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – It’s been nearly a week since heavy rains flooded parts of Bismarck and Mandan. Now that everything is mostly dry, families are learning the extent of the damage and calling their insurance companies in hopes that some of it will be covered.

The Arndts’ basement is a tangle of cables and fans. It’s not the start of a new home project, but rather cleanup after last week’s disaster.

“Our window shafts on the north and east sides filled with water, one of these windows broke and water entered our basement,” said Robert Arndt.

Nearly 6 inches of water poured in. The rain destroyed carpets, laminate floors and more.

“And the drywall in the basement, which is at least a foot high, if not higher, and the insulation and the walls. And then all the furniture and everything else, carpets and wet things, had to be thrown away,” said Robert.

Like most people in the city center, the Arndts don’t have flood insurance. They hoped their home insurance would cover the damage, since it was a broken window that allowed the water to come in.

“So we waited for the insurance adjuster before we really did much in the basement. They didn’t get back to us until late afternoon. And since we didn’t have flood insurance, nothing was covered,” Robert said.

They don’t yet know how much the renovation will cost. The initial cleanup alone will cost over $10,000.

Jon Godfread, North Dakota’s insurance commissioner, said the federal government separated flood insurance from regular home insurance years ago, which is why many people outside of flood zones do not have such insurance.

“I think it’s designed to really individualize the risk for people who need it. In the coastal states, you’re more vulnerable to flooding. We believe everyone needs flood insurance, everyone should have flood insurance because you never know when a flood is going to come,” Godfread said.

Godfread said there are 637 flood insurance policies in force in Bismarck and Burleigh County. He said it is too early to say how many insurance claims have been filed as a result of the storm, and that number will be reported to authorities.

For the Arndts, however, these costs are more than worthwhile, as many people come together to help them recover.

“The other day we helped out and took away wet carpets and carpet pads from two other neighbors since we had dump trailers here. A couple of other people brought us dump trailers. People from our kids’ school brought us food and everything. It was very nice to see,” Robert said.

Although many things in her basement need to be replaced, important memories are still there.

Godfread said if your property was affected by last week’s storms, immediately begin documenting the damage and cleanup costs and reporting them to your insurance agent.

Previous reporting: Flooding in Bismarck damages houses

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