Several homes are left uninhabitable in Wapakoneta tonight after the Auglaize river flood waters gushed through the town. There are many underwater, but Laura Betker introduces us to a family with an entirely different problem.
Michelle and Jim Bowen's basement wall caved in, bringing mud and flood waters into their lowest level. It all began early in the morning with a sound that Bowen recognized as a bad sign. She says she heard creaking and then ran upstairs before the big splash.
Evidence on the cinder block walls, shows just how high the water was at one point. A displaced washing machine and destroyed furnace show the power and force of the incoming flood. Personal belongings are destroyed, but Bowen knows things could have been worse. Bowen says she's upset that some of her children's photos are ruined, she's glad everyone is safe at this point.
Without heat, water, or a solid foundation, the Bowen's have been forced to find an alternative place to sleep tonight. Yet even as their house sits, missing one wall, the Bowen family was volunteering their time a bit closer to the river, helping to sandbag a neighbor's house that was loosing it's battle against the water.
