“I’m bruised and cut and have muscles hurting I didn’t even know existed. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m lost, and I feel like I’m on autopilot.”
– Nicole Gramhofer, who lost her home to the flood
By Mike Ramczyk
Nicole Gramhofer lives along the Fox River on Wisconsin Street, and said she couldn’t take it anymore as she spoke Tuesday evening in front of her home, which has been deemed unlivable.
She is living in a house with relatives with nine other people, including her children and five dogs.
“A foot of water in the house. In my couches. Poop water,” she said. “My son is allergic to mold. Even if I wanted to buy the house, I can’t. Red Cross gave us financial assistance for food and a place to stay. I had to go get new clothes for the kids because we couldn’t get to the house. I’m just numb.”
“I haven’t had time to lose it yet. I’m tired. Maybe 10 hours of sleep in the last 5 days? I just want someone to tell me what I’m supposed to do next? We have been trying to buy a house, but our price range is low so it’s harder. I have been staying at my brother and sister in-laws’ house with their four boys, my two kids, me and my fiancée and five dogs. In the living room on an air mattress with my kids on the chair and love seat and my fiancée on the other couch.”
Gramhofer and her fiancée have had to toss 14 years of shared memories, including pictures, heirlooms and personal belongings.
“All those years of trying to make our lives better is just gone,” Gramhofer’s fiancée said. “And 14 years of stuff is just gone.”
“I had a meltdown last night because I couldn’t find a blanket my great grandmother made out of scraps from my moms skirts. Somehow it just showed up today in the back of my brother in-laws’ car. I keep hoping to wake up from this nightmare.”
An uncertain future
Gramhofer said she is approved for a mortgage, but isn’t optimistic about the next move. Only a week into the disaster, there hasn’t really been time to stop, breathe and relax.
She said she and her neighbors didn’t appreciate “gawkers,” or kids and others simply walking by their homes with cell phones trying to snap photos and proclaiming comments like “This is awesome.”
Gramhofer has been taking her kids to a summer program called “summer survival” just to make them “be a damn kid for even a little bit.”
She has appreciated the community support and the rallying, as several residents bonded in a backyard with lawn chairs and beverages Tuesday night.
But at the end of the day, Gramhofer has no idea what to expect moving forward.
“How do you pick yourself up from something like this? I can’t sit down anymore because then I realize how tired and hurting I am,” she said.
“I’m bruised and cut and have muscles hurting I didn’t even know existed. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m lost, and I feel like I’m on autopilot.”
Community perseveres
Jennifer Enright and her family live on State Street near Mormon Road.
As of Monday, water was still leaking into her basement.
Moving north to Lincoln Street across from the Catholic Central practice field, one home’s basement was completely engulfed in water last Wednesday, and the water reached the lower level.
Neighbors spent the entire day and Thursday removing everything from the home, including flooring, furniture and appliances.
Even those on a higher ground weren’t exempt. A family on South Kane Street still had water in the basement as of Wednesday, and on Friday they used the Red Cross at Burlington High School, since a special needs child living in the home sought assistance because a machine that helps him function didn’t have the benefit of electricity.
From the city of Burlington to Lyons, Honey Lake and Wheatland, just to name a few places, area residents felt the pain of one of the most devastating natural disasters in Burlington’s history.
With garbage, much of it cherished belonging and essential house items, strewn at the curb across the city Monday and Tuesday, it’s clear the area has been hit hard.
“The community has come together, and it is awesome,” Enright said. “It’s such a tragedy, but it’s bringing strangers together.”
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