Nebraska couple behind viral picture recounts flooding experience one year later - 1011now

BELLWOOD, Neb. (KOLN) More than one year after flood waters devastated areas of the heartland, work continues to make necessary fixes to avoid it happening again.

Julie Sorensen snapped this picture of her husband Craig, holding their dog Ollie, as the family was evacuated from their Bellwood home because of flooding in March 2019.

In areas of Nebraska, adjusting to life post flooding is still a work in progress.

The same goes for Craig and Julie Sorensen, of Bellwood, just southeast of Columbus.

The couple is just months removed from finishing interior renovations to their home’s basement, which was heavily damaged after water from the nearby lake rushed its banks last March.

“[We’re] happy to say we're back in our home and living life,” said Julie Sorensen during a recent interview.

"He’s under house arrest and I'm still working lots of hours.”

About this time last year, the Sorensens were just getting back onto their property and cleaning up the damage.

The two were a few of many who were forced from their homes last spring as floodwaters rapidly rose from nearby lakes and rivers.

On a Thursday in mid March, the couple was told by the owner of the lake on which their house sits, that they should move their vehicle to higher ground in the event they would need to leave their home. They learned a short time later that evacuation help was coming.

"We had an hour and a half to get our things together,” Julie Sorensen recounted. “We could each take a bag."

Less than a few hours later, the Sorensens found themselves sitting on their neighbors’ small boat that had been floating upside down near their home just minutes earlier.

They were guided by several first responders, who pushed their boat to an area where they then climbed the stretched ladder of a fire truck to reach safety.

During that rescue, Julie snapped a picture of Craig, as he looked on, his dog, Ollie, in his lap. It’s a heartbreaking photo that generated a big response on social media – putting a face to the devastation seen and felt across the Heartland.

“Honest to God, when I took that picture, I didn't think we were going to have anything to come home to,” Julie Sorensen said. “I just looked at my husband and you could just see it in his eyes – he was feeling the same thing; clutching his puppy."

In the weeks that followed, the couple was back on their property and starting to comb through the destruction left behind.

"Our basement was destroyed,” Julie recounted. “That's half our living quarters. The upstairs was spared."

Their work to get their basement back into livable order continued through this past summer.

And they did so without their beloved and trusted companion, who passed away at the age of 16.

"He was an anchor and our trooper all through the flood,” Julie said of Ollie, a cocker spaniel who was blind and deaf. “He did wonderful.”

“That was the heart-wrenching moment when we had to put him down,” Craig added. “Worst part of the year."

The Sorensens worked overtime through the fall and was able to host family for the holidays before meeting their own goal of having the space finished by New Year’s Day.

The couple said their damage wasn’t near as severe as some of their neighbors. They utilized the help of many organizations and volunteers from around the county who descended on the area to offer assistance.

Julie Sorensen called themselves survivors, and Craig Sorensen said their recovery over the last year never would have happened without the “incredible” outpouring of support they received, even from complete strangers.

“We're okay,” Julie said.

“And we did it with a lot of help, from a lot of wonderful people,” Craig added.

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April 12, 2020 at 08:52PM
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Nebraska couple behind viral picture recounts flooding experience one year later - 1011now
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