Chad and Angela West don’t live in a flood zone and never thought they would see flooding in their home, but they woke Monday morning to discover ankle-deep water running through their house.

“It was a raging river,” Angela West said.

The flash flood swept down Oak Mountain washing out vegetation and invading houses in its path. The water receded quickly but left mud, debris and a lot of damage behind.

West called her insurance agent, but found that the company doesn’t cover flood damage.

They’re not alone.

Tim Padgett, Carroll County’s Emergency Management Agency director, estimated Friday there is at least $22 million in damage in the county from the flooding. As the water is receding people are getting back into their homes to survey the damage. But many of the hundreds of families in Carroll County who suffered flood damage on their properties did not have flood insurance, leaving them responsible for thousands of dollars in clean up and restoration on their properties as well as money for temporary housing as their homes are repaired.

Carroll County received a federal disaster declaration by President Barack Obama and that could help some of the uninsured families. Individual assistance can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses, through Federal Emergency Management Agency. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance. Affected residents can apply at www.disasterassistance.gov.

The easiest way to ensure protection, though, is to buy flood insurance. The insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program but has to be purchased through local agents, said Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine.

Anyone who lives in a community that participates in the program can purchase the insurance – Carroll County, along with the cities of Bowdon, Carrollton, Mt. Zion, Roopville, Temple, Villa Rica and Whitesburg all participate. A homeowner doesn’t have to live in a designated flood zone and can live in a high risk flood zone as long as the community participates.

“I’m hearing stories that are in communities, participating communities that have been denied it,” Oxendine said.

He is trying to verify the stories and asks that anyone who has been told they are not eligible to let his office know.

Flood insurance covers up to $250,000 in building damage and $100,000 in contents.

“The key is to mitigate the damages,” Oxendine said.

A resident can hire a company to come in and do all the cleanup, but that is expensive. There are things people can do themselves. First, get everything that’s wet out of the house – furniture, carpets, everything. Open windows, bring in dehumidifiers and try to dry the house out as quickly as possible. Then use a bleach solution to wash everything to kill the mold and bacteria that flood waters can bring in and allow to grow in the house.

“One of your best friends is going to be Clorox or a bleach alternative mixed in a solution in a spray bottle,” Oxendine said. “The Clorox will kill the bacteria and the mold.”

And do not turn on the air conditioner. That’s the worst thing you can do, he said.

The Wests waited for two days for a company to come to their house to start cleaning up. In the meantime, they removed the wet carpet and other items.

Because they live in a two-story house and only the first floor was flooded, the Wests spent Monday night in the house thinking they would be all right. However, her son Christopher woke up the next morning with a terrible cough. When she took him to the doctor, he ended up with three medicines to bring it under control.

“It’s a health hazard to my son,” she said. “He’s in a wheelchair. He has CP (cerebral palsy) and epilepsy.”

Tuesday, they moved into a hotel and are traveling back and forth to clean up and pick up clothing. Chad West, who works at Southwire, returned to work Thursday. They are waiting for Big Bear Restoration, which arrived Wednesday and started cleaning, to inspect the house and let them know when they can move back.

Angela West is hopeful that her family will be back in their home and back to normal soon, but this past week has been an eye-opening experience. She has applied for help through FEMA and is waiting to see if they will be eligible. She is also checking into getting flood insurance.

“This has just turned our lives upside down,” Angela West said.