NASHVILLE, Ill. — In Nashville, Illinois, about eight inches of rain fell in a matter of hours, causing the city reservoir to overflow the dam.
This caused massive flooding to homes and several businesses.
Jami Lane never expected she would be spending her week gutting the Nashville home she's lived in for 20 years.
“About 8:30 a.m., I heard a police officer trying to get a kid out of the center of the road, and floodwaters was coming over really fast,” Lane said.
That water came rushing into her house Tuesday morning after heavy rains overflowed the town reservoir.
“About three feet of water all through the house. So it's got into the beds, couch, dining sets, all my furniture, walls, electric,” Lane said.
Their cars were destroyed too, and, unfortunately, insurance wont cover any of it.
“It's just piles of soot and yuck, I mean, it's just disgusting,” Lane said.
The debris line on the Lanes’ trampoline showed just how high the water came up; she said that would have been over her head if they hadn't made it out in time.
“It was pretty horrible. Especially for my 6-year-old. Yeah, she was terrified. Couldn't stop crying. There was police everywhere and you know, EMT and fire. It was pretty terrifying,” Lane said.
While they clean up, the city crews are too, starting with debris removal and road repairs.
Nashville Utilities Superintendent Blaine Middleton said the secondary dam worked exactly as it was supposed to. It’s made of natural materials that are meant to break away gradually, "which allows a slow force of water instead of just one great big flash,” Middleton said.
Now they have to wait for it to dry out to build it back up.
“A lot of handwork. Because it's made to fail, to blow out, so it's a lot of clay and different levels and hand tamping and it's very involved,” Middleton said.
If you’d like to help the Lane family with clean up or donations, they can be reached at joshlanewilder@hotmail.com.
If you have damage to your home or property, you can call the Washington County EMA at 618-327-4800.