Update as of July 1: Cassie, John and the family have been able to get back into their home and are now going through the long process of evaluating the damage. Thankfully, the majority of the living space is fine, and wasn’t affected by the water.

The garage, laundry/mud room and basement all were under water. On Saturday they started the process to pump out the water and they and their landlords have had industrial fans running at all times since Saturday in an effort to combat mold.

Because of the water, they unfortunately lost their deep freeze and all of the meat in it, as well as their garage storage, which included some of Cassie’s teaching supplies such as books, classroom stools and beanbag chairs and other teaching aides. They also lost all their children’s school art projects and report cards from over the years, as well as their Christmas and other holiday decorations. They had to spend around $400 to get a large dumpster to throw out what was ruined, since it wouldn’t fit in normal garbage cans.

While the majority of clothing and linens in the laundry room were salvageable, everything was soaked with dirty water and the family spent many hours and around $300 washing it all at a laundromat.

The car insurance company believes they will total Cassie’s car but are evaluating this week still. While that will pay off the car loan, there will be a $1000 deductible. Unfortunately the family budget won’t allow them to take on a new loan with car prices at this point, so a lot of the funds we’ve raised will go toward the purchase a used car. Luckily John’s car is fine and was not waterlogged.

Their propane tank is likely empty, as it was open and losing fuel for 12 hours. It’s being evaluated this week to see if it needs any other repairs to make it useable, but they haven’t had hot water this week. They’re making due with boiling water and showers at families homes.

Finally, our saddest update is that they lost the six chicken and the chicken coop they had purchased for their daughter Madilyn as an FFA project. The family is heartbroken to lose their feathered friends that they have had for their short ten weeks of life.

Thank you all for your generosity to Cassie, John, the girls and our father - this has been very emotionally draining for the entire family, and is continuing to cause stress as we figure out how to replace items and move forward. As their sister and aunt, I’ve been so impressed by their resilience and grace in such a difficult situation and am so grateful for our communities willingness to step up in this hard time. And thank you for everyone who called and texted to check in - we are lucky to have such an amazing support system behind us.

If you’re able to continue sharing this fundraiser, we would greatly appreciate it, as I anticipate new costs will come up over coming weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you again - I don’t know how we would have gotten through without you all.

Dear friends - on June 26, my sister and her family experienced a horrible flood in and around their home in Wichita, Kansas. The entire family, including pets, were able to get out of the home safely after being rescued by local firefighters, which was covered by KWCH News. My sister Cassie is a first-grade teacher at Clearwater Elementary School, and in the home is her husband John, who also works for the school district, their three daughters - twin 14-year old's Madilyn and Melody and 13-year old Maci, as well as our father, two dogs and a cat. They left the house with basically nothing with them except phones, and they don't know when they'll be able to get back in at this point to assess damage and get clothing and other possessions.

Now, they are facing a challenge that is too big to overcome alone. Their renters insurance does not cover any flood damage. As of 1 p.m. on June 26, we know that large appliances are ruined, as the washer, dryer, fridge, freezer, riding lawn mower and propane tank were all under water, and one of their cars was filled with water. We're starting this GoFundMe ask at $10,000 as a base until we can assess what the full needs are. Your generosity can make a real difference in helping them recover from this disaster.

We're reaching out to our community for support. Any contribution would help them in replacing their possessions and getting back on their feet. Thank you for considering a donation to help the Nickel family during this difficult time.