INDIANAPOLIS — The next round of heavy rain is in the forecast for the weekend. It comes about two weeks after storms dumped inches of rain in Central Indiana.
"My basement flooded. I had a sump pump go out," said Tony Gessup.
Tony Gessup still has water damage in his basement. His home sits off Sherman and Southeastern Ave.
He was surprised to see how flooded the area gets.
"The cars they get buried in water. They literally had to shut the road down here two weeks ago," he said. "It sucked because I just moved in here about 2 and half months ago so it was kinda rough finding out like this but we are working through it."
It's no surprise for long-term residents like Terry Rutherford.
"Been happening for years. It's almost like lakes down through Sherman Ave. and 10th street there," said Rutherford.
The wind and rain pushed water into Michelle Hickman's basement, who lives a street away.
"There was some water that I had to sweep up," she said.
Co-owner of Basement Systems of Indiana, Jeff Russell, and his team have been busy since the last storm.
"A lot of people had flooded basements and it's really due to neglect," he said.
With the upcoming rain threat, he wants residents to protect themselves.
So what can you do to keep your basement from flooding or getting water damage?
"Number one, you have to have a working sump system in your basement. It's going to get water in it. It's just a matter of when it does. You have to make sure you are finding spots that could be a leaking spot," said Russell.
He also said to look out for paint that appears bubbled.
"There are cracks in basement floors so any signs of moisture wicking through those cracks, you know at some point you're going to have water in your basement," he said.
He said it's important to not only save money but also keep your house functioning.
"We've seen some cases that if it's non finished basement you're at risk of losing your heating and air system, your water softener, your water heater and that's expensive enough, but a finished basement we know of people in our area that have been destroyed with 3-4 feet of water and it's $150,000 and it's literally something if you take care of it on the front you'll never have to worry about it again," said Russell.
Basement Systems of Indiana recommends getting your basement waterproofed.
They can be reached at
5777 Decatur Blvd Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46241
Phone: (317) 608-1810
