On the night of June 24, 2013 a massive storm hit several towns along the Iowa-Illinois border, an area known as the “Quad Cities.” Strong winds and damaging storms left over 37,000 people without power and triggered a massive clean-up effort.

Leigh Mosenfelder, of Milan, Ill., was one of the many people affected by the massive storm, as her home sustained severe damage. Half of her new roof was completely destroyed, along with siding and fascia. Her fireplace had been knocked off of its foundation. Holes were blown into screens. A large tree had fallen, taking out the electrical power to the home. The gutters and roof on the home’s detached garage were also damaged. Five of the seven rooms of Mosenfelder’s home were destroyed by water damage.

The undertaking was extensive. Matt Fuhr, from Rainbow International of the Quad Cities, was contacted by the insurance company after the storm and then contracted to repair the extensive damage to Mosenfelder’s home. The first step was to remove the large downed tree that was preventing power from being restored and to begin water mitigation.

Due to the power outage, Rainbow International of the Quad Cities brought in a portable generator. Once the debris outside of the home was cleared, the interior damage of the home could be assessed and repaired. Damaged ceilings had to be dropped and replaced. Additionally, several ceiling tiles had to be replaced. Once the ceilings were replaced and repaired, insulation was installed. After the water damage to the walls and ceiling had been repaired, the walls were repainted. The carpets in the home were cleaned and restored to the pre-damaged state. Along with the interior ceilings and walls, windows and screens were replaced. A header was put in to fix a bowing window in the sunroom of the home.

“The job required a lot of coordination and communication with Leigh,” said Fuhr. “I let her know up front (that) it would be a process involving several different people to get her home back to normal.”

As the project was coming to an end, Mosenfelder placed signs around her home that read, “patience,” to help her cope with the ongoing construction to her home. The project began on June 25 – a day after the storm hit - and the final carpet cleaning took place on September 5.