‘Not enough to go around': Restoration teams overrun for weeks, months after June floods

In the wake of the June 20-22 record-breaking rainfall that washed over the tri-state area, including Sioux Falls, basement and foundation contractors and inspectors are experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand because of the damages caussed by the flooding.

The severe weather phenomenon flooded streets, fields, parks, homes and even entire towns in some areas as major rivers and streams rose to historic levels. A broad area of 3 to 8 inches of rain fell across the area, with part of the area experiencing more than 15 inches of rain in such a short amount of time, that the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls stated some areas "received rainfall that has less than a 0.1% chance of occurring in a given year."

More: Gov. Noem issues emergency declaration after eastern SD floods

Emergency crews were called to Huset’s Speedway near Brandon to rescue several people trapped at the RV campgrounds. To get to the Butterfly House & Aquarium in Sertoma Park, workers paddled over in Outdoor Campus canoes. Partially treated wastewater was forced into the Big Sioux River due to limited capacity. City and state-wide emergency declarations were declared.

More: Emergency crews rescue campers out near Huset's Speedway after overnight flooding

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls reported that the two-day period between June 20 and June 21 was the wettest on record in Mitchell and Sioux Falls since 1893, when such information was first available according to previous Argus Leader reporting .

The aftermath has left thousands of residents across southeastern South Dakota home grappling with questions of water damage and structural concerns, prompting a wave of urgent repair and inspection requests.

Reports of structural, plumbing and electrical damage, mold and mildew, foundation cracks and compromised structural integrity in residential and commercial basements and foundations came flooding into water damage restoration businesses.

Not enough to go around

Innovative Basement Authority Assistant Sales Manager Gavin Lewis said they have received hundreds of calls during the last two weeks: 160% more than last year at this time.

Despite Innovative’s more than 70 member-team, the company still had to bring in additional workers from Minnesota to support the high customer influx. So far, more than 200 homeowners had permanent waterproofing or foundation repair solutions installed, a number that continues to grow daily, Lewis said.

Similarly, Rainbow Restorations of Sioux Falls also had to call in reinforcements in addition to their 15 team members.

“I heard they were estimating at least 1,900 homes were affected in just Sioux Falls. That's not including surrounding communities,” General Manager Wade Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said their multiple phone lines have been ringing “nonstop” to the point their voicemails are full with so many customers calling at once.

“We try to at least talk to people, rather than shutting our phones off completely,” Hutchinson said. “Because people still want to talk to somebody. They still want some reassurance or maybe just some free advice they aren't making things worse.”

At this rate, Hutchinson said, this is probably going to be the new normal for the next couple of months. For both Innovation and Rainbow Restorations, clients are booked anywhere between two to four weeks out.

Some, like Dakota Basement Systems , are booked through September and counting, according to owner Eric Anderson.

Even with up to 18 crew members, Anderson said he doesn’t even have the capacity to take on another job or estimate until next year.

Anderson said his biggest frustration is when they need to repair other companies’ work, which he said, more than half of the jobs his business is taking on could have been avoided.

“But people are in such a rush right now,” Anderson said.

SERVPRO of Sioux Falls , one of the largest mitigation companies in the United States, has seen everything from sump pumps that couldn't keep up with the water coming in through foundations to drain tiles getting overloaded due to overloaded sump pumps, said Business Development Manager Mark Hawkins.

Hawkins said SERVPRO is also booked out, having received more than 450 calls since the flooding began. On an average day with no flooding, he said they receive three to five calls per day.

We just got in an additional dedicated truck of equipment and supplies to continue drying homes and businesses that...

Posted by Servpro of Sioux Falls on Tuesday, June 25, 2024

After a certain number of jobs have been called in, SERVPRO utilizes a program called Storm, which sends an alert to any sewer pro in the nation that is part of that program.

“Because of that, we were able to bring in approximately 20 or so other crews from out of state to help and be able to serve the community not just here in Sioux Falls, but also places like Rock Rapids,” Hawkins said.

Even so, it’s still not enough.

So…how are we going to pay for this?

Funds aren’t just floating around for those affected by flooding to pay for these services that are booked up to repair the damage to their homes.

Costs depend on square footage, whether the space is finished or unfinished and the sheer magnitude of damage, according to some of the water damage professionals mentioned.

Rates can range from $3,000 to larger sums of $40,000 or more, they said. The total cost increases if the home has structural damage due to flooding.

Many of those who live in the Midwest don’t have flood insurance, leaving them at the mercy of assistance from FEMA and other programs.

More: One couple's dilemma: Floods devastate house, force evacuation, but no emergency funds yet

To receive assistance from FEMA, South Dakotans affected by the flooding were asked to submit damage reports by July 12 to the state Department of Public Safety’s Office of Emergency Management.

Those damage reports need to reach a threshold of $1.6 million, previous Argus Leader reporting stated.

Ian Fury, Chief of Communications for Noem, said earlier this week that South Dakota has "far surpassed" the $1.6 million threshold. After FEMA assesses the damages, he said they "will take the next steps on the disaster declaration at that time."

A July 1 press release from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety said state assessment will cover up to 30 counties and is scheduled to take place beginning the week of July 15.

Hawkins said he was advising people to file their FEMA claim immediately if insurance won’t cover the damages.

“We saw a lot of people who just don't have coverage because of this being a flood on the outside,” Hawkins said. “A lot of times, it doesn't get covered.”

Hawkins relayed it depends on the insurance company and which policy the homeowner has. Other times, he said, with some pumps that couldn't keep up or failed, “there's a lot of limitations on those types of sections of policy where it just is not enough to cover the kind of damage that gets done.”

Hopefully, Hawkins mentioned, someone will say, ‘OK, we're going to extend the deadline.’

The delays (and financial distress), no doubt, have left residents frustrated and in turn, some of the workers too, he said.

“I'll be honest, no matter how many companies there are in town, there's no way between even ourselves and the others to be able to handle everything,” Hawkins said. “There's not enough of us to go around.”

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: ‘Not enough to go around': Restoration teams overrun for weeks, months after June floods