CHEROKEE, Iowa — The Catarino's in Cherokee, Iowa bought their first family home, hoping to make it their forever home.
Now, the home is a total loss after the floods in Northwest Iowa left their home nearly underwater, reaching the windows on the highest floor.
The Catarino's are coping with the reality of irreplaceable items being gone.
"I'm just thinking all the baby photos and my baby's birth book and just, it sucks," said Maria Catarino, Flood Victim in Cherokee, IA.
The family was on a work trip when they heard about the potential floods. In that moment, they knew they needed to turn around and prepare for what was to come.
"All I was doing a majority of the drive was crying because I'm so scared about what was gonna happen, what are we gonna lose, are we not gonna lose anything, what's gonna happen next," Catarino said.
The Cherokee family placed sandbags and plastic wrap all around their home, even putting sandbags inside the home, and then evacuated before the flood hit.
The Catarino's have not seen their home underwater yet. All they have seen are pictures of all their things floating and their white carpet, full of mud.
"Going back into the memories and thinking about everything that we lost and everything that my babies have lost, it sucks," Catarino said.
She said she doesn't know what their next steps are. She doesn't want to sell the house, but still doesn't know how the house could be rebuilt.