James Harvey said he had just woken up on Friday morning when his wife noticed an alert for a flash flood warning on her cell phone. James looked out his dining room window and saw truck lights stop in front of his Weiser home. It was a friend of his sons warning the family the flood was coming and quickly.
"I went back into the house, I told my wife to grab the kids. I said it's coming now and it's coming fast," explained Harvey.
Harvey said the family didn't even have time to get their coats or shoes on before running out the door. In less than a minute, the ice slammed into the cars they were in, trapping them. Shortly after, a neighbor came down with a loader to clear away the ice to their rescue.
"He packed us out on his shoulders in a wade suit till we could get to the bucket and then they took us out in a bucket," said Harvey.
With a lack of flood insurance, Harvey said the devastation from the flood put him at a major loss.
"My home is pretty much destroyed. I have 15 inches of water in my house," said Harvey. "It's devastating and it leaves you at a loss. You don't know what to do, you are scrambling."
While the worst is over, the days ahead are sure to be difficult, but Harvey said he has his safety to be thankful for.
"My animals are alright, my wife is alright, I am alright, my kids are alright, my grandkids are alright and that I am thankful for," said Harvey.
While he is struggling to get by, providing food and shelter for his family, he maintains strength through the hardest of times.
"I am trying to be strong for my family and my kids and everybody. I don't have a choice," explained Harvey. "I hope nobody goes through what I am going through because I don't wish it upon anyone."
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