LaMontay Pinkard gets emotional when he thinks about what might have been.

Just one week ago, flood waters unexpectedly rushed into Pinkard’s Hoover townhome, leaving him no other choice but to kick his way through the sheetrock to get his fiancé, LaVon Carter, and 2-year-old daughter, Shelby, to safety.

“Right now, I’m just thankful that my family is Ok,’’ Pinkard said through tears. “I’m just thankful my daughter didn’t lose her life before she had a chance to live it.”

Hoover was one of the cities hard-hit by the Oct. 6 flash flooding that saw up to 11 to 12 inches in some parts of the city.

At an emergency meeting Tuesday, the Hoover City Council approved more than $1 million in emergency repairs for public infrastructure such as roads and drainage systems to prevent recurring damage.

Hoover City Administrator Allen Rice said the city is working with the Emergency Management Agency in both Jefferson and Shelby counties to direct Hoover residents on how to report damage, request an assessment of damage and file for potential federal assistance.

Pinkard and Carter lost almost everything in the flood.

Their townhome sits in a small valley, of sorts, and took the brunt of the heavy rainfall.

Their insurance isn’t covering the loss. Carter’s sister has launched a GoFundMe to help the family get back on their feet. Donations can be made here.

“Rushing waters had breached their home, flowing past their doors and through the walls, filling every room of their home on the bottom and mid-level of their condominium. Their furniture was afloat,’’ wrote Carter’s sister, Tonya Barnes, on the GoFundMe.

“Years of paying fees and premiums had amounted to nothing. The safeguards they thought they had in place to help in the event of a disaster, ended up only guarding the interests of their providers. My sister and her partner are hard workers, responsible citizens, and excellent parents. But this time following the rules and doing what’s right has worked against them. If they are to move forward, they need help.” Barnes said.

LaMontay Pinkard and LaVon Carter lost most everything they owned when flood waters rushed in the Ivy Hills home in Hoover during the Oct. 6, 2021, storms. Pinkard had to kick his way through the sheet rock to get his family to safety. (Contributed)

Ivy Hills is located just off Loch Ridge Trail and neighbors describe what happened there that night as harrowing, especially for Pinkard and his family.

Pinkard said the night started out like any other.

The family ate dinner and watched some television before Pinkard decided to take a shower.

Suddenly, there was the sound of running water. Pinkard thought Carter must be taking a shower in the other bathroom and Carter thought Pinkard was doing the same.

When they realized it was neither, Carter went to investigate, and it was then she saw the unimaginable.

“She immediately said my name again. It sounded urgent so I rushed out of the bathroom, and she was looking at her phone, so I thought it was something on the phone,’’ he said. “She was pointing to the stairs and making a video.”

The way the home is situated, the door to enter is between the first and second levels. It’s at the bottom of a hill.

Upstairs were the three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Downstairs were the living areas, dining room and kitchen.

“When I saw the water rushing in, I was like, ‘Oh my God,’’' Pinkard said. “I didn’t know what was going on, but when I saw the amount of water that was rushing down the stairs, I realized that was our entry and exit.”

“I immediately thought if it’s down there with that much water, it’s got to be over the outlets,’’ he said. “I started thinking maybe the water could be electrified and we can’t go out there.”

The bedroom wall was adjacent to the garage, and Pinkard figured that to be the only way out.

Pinkard put his daughter on the bed as Carter quickly threw some clothing into two duffle bags.

LaMontay Pinkard and LaVon Carter lost most everything they owned when flood waters rushed in the Ivy Hills home in Hoover during the Oct. 6, 2021, storms. Pinkard had to kick his way through the sheet rock to get his family to safety. (Contributed)

“Once she got all our belongings together, I told her, ‘I’m going to knock through this sheetrock. I don’t know how much water is on the other side so y’all get on the bed.’’'

He punched a hole but ran into electrical wire. He moved to the side a bit and tried again, successfully making an opening through which they would make their exit.

Carter had the garage door opener, and they were going to make a run for it.

“When I hit the garage door opener, it was at night and dark, but I could see the shimmer of the water, the wave of water,’’ Pinkard said. “The water outside the garage was actually higher than the water in the garage so me opening the door let more water in.”

“I grabbed my 2-year-old and put her on my side, and I grabbed one of the duffle bags and she grabbed the other and we squeezed through the 16-inch opening in the framework,’’ Pinkard said. “We waded through the water until we got outside.”

Fortunately, their cars were outside and not lost, so Carter and Shelby took cover in one of them, while Pinkard went to try to figure out how to stop the flow.

“It was just so chaotic,’’ Pinkard said. “I really didn’t have a chance to be panicked. Once I got my family to safety, that survival instinct kicked in.”

He thought momentarily about their belongings but knew it was a lost cause. Instead, he began to help his neighbors.

“We were in waist-deep water picking leaves out of drains to let the water recede and minimalize the damage,’’ he said.

The damage to Pinkard’s townhome was catastrophic. The water was as high as three feet, breaking a support beam, and blowing out a set of sliding glass doors.

Some of the bedroom furniture upstairs was salvageable, but not much else. Still, what get Pinkard the most is thoughts that his family could have been injured or worse.

On their bottom level was a bouncy house where Shelby often played while Pinkard and Carter watched TV nearby. “Had she been in that bouncy house when the water came in, she would have panicked and tried to get to us, and that water would have flushed her down into the basement and I would have lost my child.”

Pinkard said they are staying with family until they determine their options. He said he knows a lot of people are suffering whether it be from flooding or the pandemic or other issues.

He said he doesn’t want to be a burden on anyone, but he wants others to be aware of the damage done.

“I don’t think people realize the severity of some people’s ordeal that they’re going through,’’ Pinkard said. “It was frightening. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

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