OREM, Utah (KUTV) — Within minutes, neighbors were shocked as an evening storm swept through Orem, flooding basements and tearing trees through ceilings.

The cleanup continued into the next day as the skate park was flooded and the streets were littered with branches and leaves.

Jeff Garner and his family watched the storm move through Orem on Tuesday and looked at a fallen tree in their backyard.

They went into one of their bedrooms and saw the branches of the trees and the pouring rain coming through the ceiling.

“There were towels and buckets and screaming,” Garner said. “You couldn’t hear us screaming, we were in complete panic.”

The tree missed the fan but managed to fall through the walls.

“We opened the closet and there are still branches in there,” Garner said. “An aspen tree came through and everything here is soaking wet.”

Chris Tschirki, director of Orem’s public works department, had never experienced a storm like this before.

“This basically exceeds a once-in-a-century storm event,” said Tschirki.

His advice after going through all this?

“Prepare for an event as best you can,” he said.

MORE about the Orem storm:

This is his message to the city and every single person who lives in it and its surroundings.

“Appraise your property, look at what has happened in the past,” Tschirki said. “Determine if your property is lower than the road itself, and identify the areas where you feel there might be damage.”

Garner said he was prepared for emergencies, but this happened so quickly.

He said everyone’s help had been extraordinary.

“Thanks to many friends and neighbors, they helped us get the tree off the roof last night,” Garner said. “Now we’re waiting for the insurance money.”

Utah Department of Insurance officials stated, “Damage caused by rain is considered a flood event and is not covered by homeowners insurance.”

They shared some things to keep in mind regarding rain and flooding:

• Damage caused by rain is considered flooding and is not covered by homeowners insurance. Flood insurance is a separate policy that a consumer can purchase from their homeowners insurer or the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Consumers should speak with their insurance agent or insurance company to learn what options are available to them.
• Consumers should always review their policy and work with their agent (if they have one) to identify the risks and then figure out how to mitigate those risks.
• Many people believe they don’t need flood insurance because they aren’t required to have it under their mortgage agreements. The NFIP philosophy is that if you live in an area where it rains, you need flood insurance.
• Renters insurance policies only cover a consumer’s personal property and do not provide coverage for the home. They work the same way for flooding, i.e. a renters insurance policy itself may not cover flooding, but a consumer can purchase a separate flood insurance policy to cover their personal property.

___