'It's more than just a house': Multi-generational Springdale family picking up pieces after flood

SPRINGDALE, Washington County —A family is picking up the pieces of a multi-generational home after flooding barreled its way down through Zion National Park and into their home Monday afternoon.

The flood rose several feet in the basement, causing damage that is not covered by insurance. Through tears, homeowner Sheralyn Madsen said that what has happened to her home has broken her heart.

"It's more than just a house; it's been a sanctuary," Madsen said. "My older sister, Bonnie lived here the last 11 years of her life. She had cerebral palsy. All five of my children were born here in this home. We had our sixth child here, and she was rushed to Primary Children's, and she lived for a week. Three of my grandchildren have been born in this home with midwives."

Madsen said she moved here with her parents in 1986, at the age of 22. She said that she was living and working in Provo at the time, and that her dad had experienced several heart attacks and was in search of a place for his family to call home.

"My dad had a strong feeling that we needed to have a place of sanctuary," she said. "My mom was a school teacher and commuted down here, and I moved down and camped out in the basement with my dad as we started working on it, trying to finish the home."

Madsen's house is known as the "dome house" in Springdale for its geodesic dome shape, and it sits on 10 acres of land that the family has held on to for the past 40 years as a place for family, friends and many animals to enjoy.

"We go back six generations here," she said. "My great grandparents settled Rockville. I met my husband in Springdale. My dad raised and bred Arabian horses here, and I bought it from my mom after my dad passed away."

Madsen has worked as a dental hygienist for decades, often commuting to St. George and all the way to Hildale. She was at work when she got the news that her house had flooded.

"I had a patient in the chair and my patient before that one said, 'Wow! I heard Springdale's getting hit by a storm. Are you guys OK?'" she recalled. "I said. 'I haven't heard anything.' I looked at my phone, and a friend texted me and said, 'You need to come home. Your house is flooded.'"

Madsen said that in the 40 years of living near a river, flooding like this has never happened, adding that "It wasn't the river that caused this," but water that came from off the road.

The water that flowed into the roadways divided another part of Madsen's family. Madsen's daughter, Angelia Glazier, who KSL spoke to earlier this week, has been living in the basement with her four kids and was frantically trying to get ahold of her husband who drives a shuttle for Zion National Park.

Glazier wasn't in the home at the time, but recalled getting a call from her dad, saying, "It's coming over the wall. It's going into your bedroom."

Glazier told KSL that she drove through flooded streets and made her way home with her children. And while holding her 6-month-old child, she filmed in real-time, what it was like to see the devastation that had hit the home she grew up in. She shared the video on social media, which has been viewed over 90,000 times. In it, water is seen rushing out of the house as she opens the door and watches the family's items drift away.

"This is our family home," Glazier said. "Not only did the majority of our things get destroyed, but my mom had some of my siblings' stuff down in the basement that were lost as well.

"It was also very difficult trying to get ahold of my husband," she continued. "There's very limited service, and thankfully, I was able to connect with a coworker who was able to help him get on the radio and then get him escorted down the canyon so he could get through to us."

With everyone safe and accounted for, the family has begun to assess the damages and loss, which are many. Madsen and Glazier said what has compounded the level of difficulty is that her parents don't have insurance.

"You hear horror stories of insurance not covering things, but you don't think it will happen to you," Madsen said.

"Earlier this year, my parents' insurance sent out someone to do an inspection, and my parents didn't really think anything of it," Glazier explained. "When they came back, they said that they were at risk of losing their insurance if they didn't replace their roof. It was going to cost over $45,000 to replace and the insurance wasn't going to cover it. At this time, we do not believe that there is any insurance that is available to them."

Madsen said that at this moment, she is devastated and hopes that they will be able to rebuild what has been lost.

"I don't think of myself as a wimpy woman, but I have felt so fragile and unraveled," she said. "I wandered downstairs, and I'm like, 'It's all gone.' And then I'm like, 'Where's my family?'"

At that moment of deep despair and loss, Madsen said that one of her daughters made her way to the home with her one-year-old grandson, whom she said: "reached out."

"I just grabbed onto him and started crying, going, 'You know, this is what's really important? The family is safe. I think my brain and emotions are catching up to process everything," she said.

Madsen and her husband are able to stay in the main level of the home and Glazier and her family are staying in temporary housing until they are able to go back home or find something more permanent.

A GoFundMe* has been set up to help the family cover some costs related to the damage and items lost, and the family's Venmo account (@Mrs-AGlazier) has also been shared to assist with fundraising efforts.

"My dad is turning 64 in a couple of weeks, and he had open heart surgery six months ago," Glazier said. "He's been in recovery and they've had medical bills. It's been a really hard year. ... We're really just hoping to help out my parents as best we can."

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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