Couple Nearly Drown In Flooded Basement, Then House Explodes

URBANDALE, IA — Like residents across the Des Moines metro area were during Saturday’s torrential rainfall, Shane and Christina Rhoades were plugging the waterfall cascading from the basement windows of their rented duplex when the lights flickered, a concrete wall collapsed and water rushed in.

They were thrust into a fight for their lives and to get to their children. It was dark, and they almost didn’t make it out alive. As he swam for safety in the debris-filled pond their basement had become, Shane finally found a small space between the water and the ceiling. He caught his breath and called for his wife. Christina had found a pocket of air near a she swam toward a window.

Somehow, they escaped. Their 8-year-old son, Brody, and his visiting friend grabbed Hunter, the Rhoades’ 10-month-old son, and the family dog got out safely, too.

“We’re both alive and I don’t know how,” Christina told the Des Moines Register. “Someone was watching out for us.”

Less than an hour later, they heard a loud whistle and the duplex exploded and erupted into flames. Firefighters were unable to save the structure.

Urbandale, where the couple live, and other Des Moines suburbs took the brunt as a series of thunderstorms moved across the city overnight, dropping more than a half foot of rain in many areas and locally higher amounts of 10 or more inches in others. Dozens of people caught by surprise in the flash flooding were rescued, and popular Iowa sports broadcaster Larry Cotlar was killed when he was swept away by the floodwaters.

At a news conference, Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said “the speed and how long that rain fell caught us by surprise." National Weather Service meteorologist Kelsey Angle said the flash flooding was “obviously a historic event, in terms of sheer rainfall” an “the magnitude that was described surpassed many of our expectations.”

Related: 'Historic' Iowa Flooding Kills Former Sportscaster Of The Year

The Rhoadeses described more of the harrowing ordeal to television station WHO.

“We saw the lights flickered and we looked at each other and what sounded like a clap of thunder like it’s right above you and next thing I know we were under water,” Christina said. “Completely under water and it was black. The wall of the duplex units gave way and our kids were upstairs and we were completely under water.”

Shane said the basement filled so quickly with water that “we thought we were gone.”

The residents of the others half of the duplex also escaped before the explosion, which was caused by a ruptured gas line, Urbandale Fire Department Lt. Lance Routson told the Register. The ignition source is unknown.

Gas lines don’t need to be shut off during flooding unless there are signs the line has been breached, Routson said. Typically when that happens, a “rotten egg” smell can be detected before gas builds up to explosive levels.

The Rhoades family lost everything in the explosion, and a local gym where Christina worked out, Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping, is collecting gift cards, cash and checks for the family.

Denise De Hamer, the manager of the facility at 8801 Hickman Road, told WHO that members form strong bonds with each other during the intense nutrition and exercise reboot.

“We’re their accountability partners and we become their family here,” she told the TV station. “While she has been inside this gym, she’s always very supportive to others. People would view her as a part of this family as well. So it was really important that we stand behind her and support her just as she does the same type of thing for not only people inside of this gym, but outside of this gym.”

A fundraiser has also been established on GoFundMe. The crowdfunding campaign was about halfway to the $20,000 goal by mid-afternoon Monday.

About 100 people were forced from their residences by the rising floodwaters, officials said at a news conference Sunday. At one point in the storm, rain was falling at a rate of 4 inches an hour. Basement sump pumps couldn’t keep up and many quit working during an extended power outage. Several people in hospice care were evacuated, and businesses were inundated with water.

Most streets in Des Moines had reopened Monday to reveal piles of soggy carpeting, furniture and other ruined items along sidewalks.

Rain has fallen steadily across a large swath of Iowa over the past weeks, but Saylorville Lake, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed flood-control reservoir on the Des Moines River. The lake is taking in more water than it releases, but officials don’t anticipate an uncontrolled release that could increase flooding threats in Des Moines and elsewhere downstream.

Saylorville is a popular Fourth of July boating spot, but only one dock — Lakeview High Water boat ramp — remained open Monday. Parking is limited, and once it fills up, the ramp will be closed. The Saylorville Marina remained open, but boaters were being advised to watch out for debris and to make sure that everyone in their craft is wearing a life jacket.

Also, the Bob Shelter Campground was closed Sunday because of high water, and all picnic shelters in the Cottonwood Recreation area closed Monday. Those who had reservation will get full refunds.

The flood warning continues in central Iowa through Friday.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

Shane Rhoades returns to his home that exploded during the Saturday night flash flood on Sunday, July 1, 2018, in Urbandale, Iowa. Rhoades said he and his wife were overtaken by water while in their basement but were saved when a wall gave out and they were swept outside. (Brian Powers/The Des Moines Register via AP)