'It was unimaginably upsetting'; Bellevue home damaged in slide is demolished
BELLEVUE, Wash. - A Bellevue home that was pushed off its foundation by rushing water and teetering on a hillside since last month has been demolished.
This all comes after the city and homeowners came to an agreement allowing the work to start.
Still, it was an emotional morning for the homeowners who said this is not the end.
The demolition work got started just before 8 a.m. on Saturday, and in a matter of minutes, the home collapsed—leveling decades of memories and bringing an end to neighbor worries.
After a month and two days of heartache, John Surdi and his family watched their home come crashing down.
"It was unimaginably upsetting. It just, you know, it's not the end, you know, but just to see your whole life, you know, crumble in front of you and then cranes start chopping it up piece by piece," Surdi said.
The family's life has been in limbo since an early morning water main break pushed their home of 22 years off its foundation along 139th Place Southeast in the Somerset neighborhood.
Surdi's wife and their dog were rescued from inside.
With the home teetering on a hillside, he said it was impossible for them to try to save precious keepsakes.
"A lot of photographs. A lot of, you know, a lot of children's memories. All my four kids, you know, they all grew up a good part of their lives in there and Barbara and I have been married 44 years and, you know, there's 44 years of marriage plus another five before we got married all in there that's all gone," he said.
For neighbors, it has also been tough.
Some homes were red-tagged leaving people unable to return due to the unsafe structure nearby.
"Our concern has been what would happen, you know, if it collapses beyond their control and does debris start coming down because that first night, we had stuff on our grass, our driveway," neighbor, Jeff Atkin said.
Although the Surdi home is now in pieces, he said this situation isn't over.
He also ran a business there and said insurance isn't covering the damage.
Surdi said his attorney will lead them to their next step.
"We can't afford to be making a rent payment and a mortgage payment at this point when we don't know, you know, what's going on," he said.
Now, he said they are trying to find a way to start over because even though they want to, they can't get back the past.
"We're just trying to figure it out. One day at a time. This will take a long time. It's a lot of complications ahead of us," Surdi said.
The city estimates that the work including site stabilization and clean-up will continue through March 3.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Demolition preps begin for Bellevue home that slid off its foundation; work starts Feb. 19
ALSO READ: City of Bellevue sues landslide victims so they can access, demolish home
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