Wilson Family Picks Up The Pieces After Flood Devastates Home

Maria Wilson’s words were barely audible as she described her children’s playroom — at least what it used to be.

She stood in the room — bare walls, barren floors and mold growing in some places — and spoke over the fans that worked to air out and dry the room.

This was a place where she taught the Greek language to her kids, Clare and John. They’d sit at little desks, and Maria sometimes would squeeze into one, too, so they could try their hand at playing teacher. She pointed to the ceiling fan, each blade a different color of the rainbow. The walls used to be all different colors, too, she said, until they were destroyed in .

She and family members gutted that playroom and the bottom two floors of her split-level home in the 700 block of Linwood Avenue, and they continue to pick up the pieces in their house that now has no electricity and running water.

“We lost all our personal belongings,” Maria said. “Our furniture, our bed — gone. And insurance won’t cover any of it.”

Community coming together

Maria and her husband Bob pay $1,500 a year for flood insurance, which does not cover damaged contents or a hotel stay. The couple and their children John, 11, and Clare, 8, now are living out of an RV thanks to friend and  and husband Doug. They’ve already thrown out several truckloads of ruined belongings and now work to clean up the bottom two levels.

Although heartbreaking, the Wilson family’s story is not unique. Along their block, and throughout the Price Park area, more residents struggle to clean out their flooded homes. After talking with city officials, the couple said between 30 and 40 homes this past week had seen substantial flooding.

They're disheartened, saying 30-40 homes isn't a significant enough number for the city to solve the problem. And they also struggle with the guilt they'll feel if they sell their home to another family who likely will face the same issues.

The city did put out portable toilets along Linwood Avenue this past week because so many were without running water.

The hardship has strengthened the sense of community around them, with nearby residents — namely Cynthia and Paul Keyes — hosting neighborhood picnics, and dropping by to offer support and boxes of pizza.

The Wilsons said one of Nidy’s friends donated furniture after hearing the couple’s whole bedroom had been under water. Nidy had pleaded on Facebook and asked around for help, they said.

“If we didn’t have Kim, I don’t know what we’d do,” Maria said.

They’ve also accepted snacks and water from the Stark County Chapter of the American Red Cross and received donations of food and clothing from others.

“All I had was what I was wearing (before the storm),” Bob said.

‘I can’t do it again’

The Wilsons remember a terrible flood from 2003 in which water had reached the top of a pool table in the lower portion of their house and ruined about $20,000 in contents. The family had lost more than half their personal possessions, including family videos, photos and other keepsakes.

“And this flood has taken the rest,” Bob said. “It’s all gone.”

They said city officials assured them a flood (caused by the overflowing of the nearby Zimber Ditch) wouldn’t happen again during their lifetimes.

And so they stayed.

“I can’t do it again — mentally and physically,” said Maria, a nurse at Akron General.

She said the kids have dealt with the troubles fairly well, although they are upset by losing some of their possessions, including the various mementos they made for their parents. (And John and his neighborhood friends are mourning the loss of a Playstation video game console.)

Now the family is not only tasked with cleaning and fixing up their home, but also looking for a new home that brings with it no threats of flooding.

“This house has been like a money pit,” Maria said. “And this is the house we wanted to spend the rest of our lives in.”

Editor's note: We understand the Wilson family is not alone in dealing with severe flooding issues. If anyone in North Canton wishes to speak out about their circumstances surrounding the most recent flood, please contact at Morgan.Day@patch.com.

We're hoping to bring you information soon about how you can help those affected by the storm.