Heavy rains in early April that caused the water of Schaefer Lake to rise onto her lawn triggered memories of a trying experience for a Hope woman.
A decade earlier, massive flooding that occurred in Bartholomew County included a fast-rising Schaefer Lake, pouring over its banks and the spillway, and damaging homes and roads in the area.
Susan Fye’s 108-year-old, 2,600-square-foot white home with tall pillars flooded on June 7, 2008.
“There were rapids in the living room,” she said, noting that the water’s strength moved furniture.
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The home’s foundation was damaged to the extent that the entire home had to be razed. Only the detached garage sitting on slightly higher ground was spared.
“In two hours that Saturday, it changed my life for two years,” Fye said.
Fye said she wondered in April if she would again have to deal with the challenges and emotions that come with flooding.
“Every time it rains, the hair stands up on the back of my neck,” Fye said.
The June 2008 flood not only damaged her own home, but three rental properties in Columbus that the landlord oversaw — two she owned and one she managed for a friend. Two of them had 6 to 7 feet of water in the basement, the other about 4 feet of water in the basement, she said.
Fye said she worked 16-hours days for more than a year because of flood-related issues. The one rental unit with flood insurance cleaned up fairly quickly and for a relatively low cost, but the other properties required more time and money because of greater damage, she said.
Properties in flood zones are a concern for landlords, Fye said.
“I’m not in a buying mode. But for the younger landlords searching for listings, they’re reluctant to buy in flood zones. If you get a mortgage, you’re required to buy flood insurance,” Fye said.
The cost of flood insurance can be problematic, she said.
Fye noted that the one damaged rental property that had flood insurance has seen its premium increase from $300 per month to $1,100 per month.
Having flood insurance on her own home helped Fye with rebuilding.
Even though the home was paid off and she had no mortgage, she had begun paying the premium on a $25,000 policy shortly before the flood struck.
However, Fye estimates she still took about a $500,000 hit. The Schaefer Lake home could have sold for about $250,000. Fye bought a home in Columbus to live in after the flood. And when she decided to rebuild on her Schaefer Lake property, it cost about $120,000.
The new home on Schaefer Lake is smaller, about 1,500 square feet and with two fewer bedrooms. Building it wasn’t a snap.
First, it took some time to decide to rebuild because of uncertainty about whether another big flood would strike again, Fye said. That decision took about two years.
Then, meeting the occupancy requirements for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) slowed the process. The new home had to be raised about 3 1/2 feet above flood level to meet FEMA standards. Also, no basement was allowed and the crawl space had to have 14 vents to allow any future floodwaters to pass through, Fye said.
Fye said she pays a premium for a minimum flood insurance policy on her new home, but hopes it’s never needed.
The Hope resident said she’s learned the force of nature can be costly.
“You can’t fight Mother Nature. She will win,” Fye said.
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“There were rapids in the living room,” Susan Fye of the 2008 flooding that claimed her Schaefer Lake home.
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