The Chalupka Family Faces Second Major Flood in Five Months

Three feet of water engulfed the Chalupka family home at 250 Watch Hill Road on Sunday, as tropical storm Irene dropped about 10 inches of rain in the area. The creek beside the Chalupka’s yard rose several feet, pouring gallons of water over the short stonewall along their driveway until the entire house was filled with three feet of water.

“We were very prepared,” Hannah Chalupka said as she pointed to all a garage filled with four-foot high makeshift shelves, holding the family’s personal belongings. “We were not as nervous as the last time. I guess we got used to it,” Chalpuka said. Then she added: “well, not really.”

The “last time” she was referring to that dropped about four inches of rain on top of ground already saturated with snow this past March. During that storm the family experienced flooding for the first time in the four years they’ve lived there and were not prepared. Chalpuka said they lost some valuable items, had to wait two months for the insurance claim to come through and then had to remodel their basement.

This time around they had all their personal items raised above the flood level, but were still helpless as the water rose from early Sunday morning until about 2 that afternoon. At that time, Irene’s rain subsided and the water began to recede. Hannah’s husband Juraj then turned on the pump later in the night and all the water was gone by 7 a.m. Monday. It took a full 12 hours to recede. The creek was still flooded and running rapidly alongside the property on Monday afternoon.

“I feel so bad for the family down there,” said Frank Alvado, who lives about a mile north of the Chalupka’s on Furnace Dock Road, and burst in front of his house early Sunday morning.

“Every time it rains it floods over there and at Blue Mountain Middle School,” he said.

The Chalupka’s neighbor across the street saw the same amount of water in his home as well.

"Not since Hurricane Floyd in 1999 have I seen this much water,” said John Feeney on Sunday afternoon. 

At Feeney’s, an old wood-paneled car sat under more than three feet of water, as did the entire house. Feeney surveyed the damage from his roof Sunday afternoon, gazing out onto a backyard turned river flowing eastward to the Chalupka’s property.

"My son is going to get a kick out of seeing 'Woody' underwater," said Feeney, referring to his car.

On Monday afternoon, Woody’s doors were wide-open airing out, and the backyard was still swamped with moving water.

At the Chalupka’s, dehumidifiers grumbled while Hannah went to work on John Walsh Blvd. and took advantage of the working phones in the office to call her insurance company.

They will file a claim and wait for the insurance money to come.

“We are going to try to ask for extra this time to build our retainer wall,” she said, explaining they want to add a foot and a half to the existing stone wall and extend it about twenty feet further along the side of the property adjacent to the creek.

After the March flood they received about $25,000 and used it to rip out all the basement walls in case of mold and water damage and remodel the basement, which was only completed two months ago. They pay about $2,000 a year in flood insurance, which they are required to have because they live in a flood zone. Hannah says it is worth it.

If the Chalupka’s got extra money this time around, “It will save the insurance company money in the future,” Hannah said. “So they don’t have to keep paying every time we flood.”

Chalupka said that the owners before told them about the major flooding issue and had spent about $30,000 on a heavy-duty pump system that takes water from drains placed throughout the property and pumps it out at higher ground. But the pump system does no good when water spills into the yard for hours like it did during Irene’s wrath.

So the Chalupka’s will go through the process again, and Hannah says “at least now we know what we are doing.”

Editor's Note: Patch writer Joe Duraes contributed to this report.

View the before and after photos of Chalupka and Feeney properties attached to this article.  

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