BEAVER, Utah — As it has throughout the week, the community in Beaver remains focused on rebuilding after all that was lost in weekend floods.
On Thursday, a resident of the Grove neighborhood, which was the hardest hit, took us inside what used to be his family's home before mud and water destroyed everything.
“We didn’t have a home anymore. Everything was lost," said Steve Acerson.
From the cabinets to stacks of pages of their life’s work, along with the photos that captured precious memories.
“It took us like 15 years to collect all this stuff," Acerson said. “We have a whole life of collectibles.”
Acerson’s house tucked inside of the Grove was more than just his retirement dream. He called it paradise.
“My daughter’s house is just like 100 feet away,” he said.
But instead of collectibles, what's on the inside of the house is thick mud.
“Everything’s gone,” he said.
Water service returns to Beaver, but there's an important catch:
Acerson and his family were evacuated from their house at around 2 p.m. Sunday, only able to grab a few items, like their laptops
“By 2:30 or so, you could hear this giant rumble,” Acerson recalled.
Mud and water blasted through the house, bringing along full tree trunks.
When Acerson returned Monday, he said it was like a kick in the gut.
“It was the worst thing that’s happened to me in my life,” he shared.
Since the floods, Beaver has dealt with contaminated water and, in some areas, no running water. But it hasn’t stopped the community from helping Acerson and others.
“Everyone has been willing to put their hands in the debris and mud to help out whoever," he said.
Acerson and his family are now wondering what’s next and if they’ll ever come back to their piece of paradise.
“We had it, and now it’s gone.”
