'We're basically just waiting on a prayer': Windsor woman says after flooding

After Tuesday's flooding, April Parè says her family is living on a hope and prayer.

• Provincial disaster relief may not help many after Windsor-Essex flooding

• Who to call if your basement is flooded

Parè lost almost everything in her basement apartment after six inches of sewage came up through her drains. She estimates the water caused $40,000 in damage, but when she called her insurance company she was told it would not be covered.

"They are telling me that the clause wasn't written into my policy so they are not responsible, and the person who originally wrote the policy is retired," she explained, standing in what once was her bedroom, but now smells like a "dirty bathroom."

Parè said she's lived in the house for 10 years and always assumed she had flood coverage. Now she finds herself sleeping in the kitchen, the only spot she has to lay her bed.

"They told me on the phone not to hold my breath" she said, tears filling her eyes. "It is devastating, it really is, because now I have an entire floor of my house that is inhabitable.

While Parè said she's struggling to deal with the damage, the world has been turned upside down for her daughter who has autism.

"They need stability, they need to have the same routine and this has completely messed with all of that," Parè said, adding she's worried about behavioural issues arising, especially as her daughter gets ready to start Grade 1 next week.

Parè's insurance provider did allow her to submit a claim, but she has no idea if someone will actually show up at her house to assess the damage so she's relying on friends and family to get the wet furniture out of her basement.

"We are basically just waiting on a prayer right now and if it doesn't happen we are going to be like this for months because we just don't have the income to do it."