VAIL — In the wake of flooding that devastated parts of the Midwest, an Iowa couple has found temporary rest in the Vail Valley.

Tim and Ellen Mott, of Marion, Iowa, an area where some of the major flooding occurred, were in town to visit a Vail friend, Barbara Richardson, leaving behind a town covered in water.

Much of Cedar Rapids, located across the Cedar River from Marion, was completely submerged, with only the tops of buildings or shop signs visible when they left town, Tim Mott said.

Their daughter’s family lost its home and most of their possessions to the flooding — the water reached the roof of the two-story house — and have been staying in the Motts’ home, which sustained only minor flood damage.

“We have five adults, three kids and a dog living in our three-bedroom home,” Ellen Mott said.

A town submerged

The Motts said they have lived in Marion since 1973 but have never seen flooding of this magnitude.

“I was just shocked,” Ellen Mott said of the damage.

“Seeing a boat going down the middle of town, you just look at it and think:

‘What is that?

How can this be?

This is our town, but where is it?’”

Looking across the river, she said she could see landmarks, such as the local Dairy Queen, but only the tops of the signs.

Furniture from stores floated down the street, and the top of the county courthouse resembled a battleship sitting in the water, she said.

The floodwaters came fast, a result of record snowfall and ongoing rain, Tim Mott said.

“My reaction was: ‘My God, where is all that water coming from, and where is it going?’ It came a lot quicker than we thought,” he said.

A week and a half ago, residents knew to expect the worst, and by last Monday,

authorities were telling people to evacuate their homes, Tim Mott said.

Homes were submerged by late last week.

Ellen Mott’s daughter was able to go back and see her home, reporting that the first floor was destroyed and that the entire place was covered with mold, Ellen Mott said.

Despite the damage, she said she was overwhelmed by the support that was offered to her family and how well the town worked together.

Within two days of the flooding, Ellen Mott’s women’s a-cappella group sent boxes of clothes and toys.

Everyone from the nearby towns helped with sandbagging efforts, including inmates evacuated from the jail.

“We were all the in the same boat, so we had to work together.

You do what you have to do,” Tim Mott said.

Much-needed vacation

Ellen Mott and Richardson were high-school friends who met up last year at a 40th class reunion.

The two, along with another high school friend, Barbara Barr, decided to have their own reunion this summer in Vail, never imagining it would be in the wake of a disaster.

“We almost didn’t come,” Ellen Mott said. “It was a tough decision, but we needed to get away.”

Richardson, an employee at the Vail Cascade & Resort Spa, helped put her friends up at the hotel and took them out sightseeing.

The friends have been enjoying the mountains, taking a Humvee tour up to Piney Lake, shopping in Vail Village and riding a gondola.

“It’s just beautiful. The mountains are gorgeous,” Ellen Mott said.

“I told her this is a very, very generous valley,” Richardson said. “I just wanted to do what I could to make their lives a little easier for even a short amount of time.”

The couple returned to Iowa on Monday.

Going back and seeing the damage will be difficult, Ellen Mott said, wiping tears from her eyes.

When the couple left town, they said they already could see the results from the receding floodwaters — streets were crumbling, gutters were caked with black mud, and all the downtown and government buildings were submerged.

“You’ve got to go back sometime,” Tim Mott said.