Flood and mud destroyed their home, but now a Michigan family has reason to celebrate – MLive.com

SANFORD, MI When the rainfall kept coming down and the water level in the nearby river began to rise, Rebecca Johnson was sure it was just the usual spring weather.

A look at the Sanford Dam on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, after heavy rainfall and the failure of the Edenville Dam upstream caused it to fail and flood the surrounding area. The village of Sanford is on the far left. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

She had no idea her life was about to turn upside down.

I look back now and I was so naive. We could have been packing things, said Johnson, who lives in Sanford, a village in Midland County that sits in the shadow of the Sanford Dam. They had it hyped up so much, but I was like, It floods every year, its not going to be that bad, the dams are not going to break.

Flashing red lights woke her around 4 a.m. on May 19 as firefighters went door to door telling residents to evacuate. They expected the Sanford dam and the Edenville Dam above it to fail after all.

Rebecca Johnson and her daughter Autumn Pontseele stand near a Christmas tree during a Sanford community tree lighting event downtown on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Johnson and her daughter, 18-year-old Autumn Pontseele, stayed put for awhile, until rising water began creeping up into their backyard. They escaped just in time.

Their home was one of more than 4,000 in Midland County damaged by flooding after the two dams failed and millions of gallons of muddy water poured downstream. Sanford, located just northwest of the city of Midland, was among the hardest hit areas.

When Johnson and Pontseele were able to return, they found their home full of squishy mud.

Rebecca Johnson takes a call as the rebuild continues in her home in Sanford on Friday, June 26, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Recovering from the disaster has taken months of hard work and some good fortune. As Christmas 2020 approaches, they are ready to celebrate in a residence rebuilt with the help of donors, family and volunteers.

See an extended gallery of photographs of their journey or buy images by clicking here.

Rebecca Johnson watches her stepdad Ron Eurich set up the electrical for the ceiling lighting in the kitchen area for her home in Sanford on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Their house did not sit even one day after the initial flooding before the cleanup began. Help swarmed in from coworkers at Big Boy, friends from Autumns old school, Samaritans Purse volunteers, SFT Remodeling, FEMA, United Way and many more.

Autumn Pontseele feeds one of their cats a treat while they all take cover in the garage as it rains in Sanford on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Crews began repairing their home less than a month after the Edenville and Sanford dams failed and damaged the structure as well as the family's possessions. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Throughout the whole process, the hardest part for Johnson was letting go of the damaged items that had meaningful memories attached to them. The pressure and time constraint to get everything out of the house to avoid mold caused many belongings to be overlooked and thrown into a garbage pile.

A pile of trash lies on the ground as construction continues inside of Rebecca Johnson's home in Sanford on Friday, June 26, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Everything sat at the road for days, and I hated seeing it every day. It was all our stuff, it was awful. I watched them take it away and I think that was worse, Johnson said. Its really real, thats it, well never see it again.

A look inside Rebecca Johnson's home in Sanford on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 less than a month after the Edenville and Sanford dams failed and damaged the structure as well as the family's possessions. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

They had to gut the interior of the home. Cutting the ruined drywall out, removing insulation, spraying for mold, ripping the beloved hardwood floor up and drying out the basement took many weeks.

Rebecca Johnson and Greg Yancer say goodbye to Johnson's daughter Hayley Pontseele and her fiance Kurt Lehmkuhle after finishing unloading the last storage unit in Sanford on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

They first stayed with Johnsons other daughter, Hayley Pontseele, before deciding to move to a hotel. After three weeks there, a disaster relief company paid for their stay at a Midland hotel. Red Cross took over the expenses at a different Midland hotel for the next two weeks before Johnson and Autumn Pontseele set up a camper in their yard.

Autumn Pontseele's dog Decker jumps for the ball as they play in the yard in front of a camper in Sanford on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. Pontseele has been staying in the camper since July due to the major flooding from the Edenville and Sanford dams failing in May. Reconstruction continues on their house, so the camper is home for her and Decker temporarily. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Both were taking classes while all of this happened. Once it began getting colder, Johnson moved in with her boyfriend, Greg Yancer, to be able to give Autumn and herself more space to continue their schoolwork.

Greg Yancer and Rebecca Johnson cook the first family meal in her newly finished home in Sanford on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

They tried to make the best of the situation.

We really didnt have any bad times. We made it fun as it was constant go, go, go. We didnt really have any woe is me feelings at all, Johnson said. I smiled the whole time, what else could you do?

Rebecca Johnson smiles as people pull in to her driveway with a trunk full of donated items for flood victims in Sanford on Friday, June 26, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Little did they know, a big break was coming their way. Angela Cole, a local attorney who lived in Sanford for over 40 years, was tasked to pick families in the area to receive funding assistance from the Rebuild Project, which is a partnership through the Midland Business Alliance and Three Rivers Corporation. Cole threw Johnsons name in the mix.

The company came by and surveyed how far along they were in the rebuild process, which included having a working bathroom, electrical set up throughout the home, floors ripped up, drywall hung and so on.

Rebecca Johnson works on wiring her home in Sanford on Friday, June 26, 2020. Johnson's home had to be stripped on the main level up four feet due to the major flooding from the Edenville and Sanford dam failures in May 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Johnson and Pontseele continued working on the home with the help of others as they waited to hear if they would be picked, and got the call shortly afterward. Midland Area Community Foundation and Three Rivers Corporation were going to cover the rest of the job up to $100,000.

Rebecca Johnson wires an electrical outlet in the kitchen area in her home in Sanford on Friday, June 26, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

There were so many reasons I provided Rebeccas name. She was already underway with her rebuild, was close to downtown and was a long-term Sanford resident, Cole said. Rebeccas attitude and joy humbled me. In every interaction she was so thankful and grateful for help in spite of all she had been through.

Rebecca Johnson stands at the door of the garage with a couple of her pets to stay out of the rain while a friend of hers attempts to start their generator while work is being done on her home in Sanford on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Rebuilding was paused for about two months as paperwork was sorted out. Once it began, Johnson had to give her input for what she wanted for the floors, kitchen and bedrooms. She and her daughter had an idea of what they were going to do, but getting all-new items was an unusual experience for them.

Rebecca Johnson reacts to seeing her brand new kitchen cabinets for the first time for her home in Sanford on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. Throughout the years, Johnson has always lived in rentals and never had the chance to have brand new anything, so she is very grateful to have her home rebuilt after the devastation of the flood in May. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

The companies working on the home set Thanksgiving for the family to move back into the home. As of December, the home is occupied, though they are waiting on the countertops, which are to arrive in January as the pandemic caused a backorder on some of the products chosen for the house.

Theyve been able to empty out their two storage units filled with their belongings and the new project of decorating and putting things in their place has begun. Just in time for Christmas.

Autumn Pontseele moves a tote out of her and her mom Rebecca Johnson's storage unit on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

As things begin to settle down, they both say they will be on the job hunt in the new year. And they are both elated to still call Sanford home as their community continues to pick up the pieces.

Rebecca Johnson searches for the correct light switch covers for her home inside the local Sanford hardware store on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

We never thought about abandoning it, never thought about moving, Pontseele said. Weve already had two community events, even with nothing here. People still come down and celebrate.

Greg Yancer, Rebecca Johnson and her daughter Autumn Pontseele walk across the street during a Sanford community tree lighting event downtown on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

They are certain they couldnt have done it without the help of the community, volunteers, donations, and family and friends who chipped in over the last seven months.

From far left, Autumn Pontseele, her boyfriend Julien Plamp sits next to her on the right, Hayley Pontseele, Kurt Lehmkuhle, Rebecca Johnson, Greg Yancer and Trey Yancer sit together on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 for the first family meal after Johnson and Autumn were displaced from their home back in May due to the major floods in Sanford. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

I want to figure out a way to give back, Im just not there yet. Ill figure it out though, one way or another, Johnson said. I mean, how many times can you say thank you? They just made the whole situation better. We couldnt have done it alone.

Autumn Pontseele walks around in her newly decorated room on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Rebecca Johnson stands on her brand new porch at her home in Sanford on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com

Read more:

Pilot captures aerial footage of roaring water as Edenville Dam bursts in Midland County

Flooding near downtown Midland as seen by drone

Our whole life is gone says woman whose Sanford home was washed away in Midland floods

Gov. Whitmer addresses Midland after dam break and flooding: Were gonna get through this

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Flood and mud destroyed their home, but now a Michigan family has reason to celebrate - MLive.com