Everett Heringer peels apart two pieces of soaked paper retrieved from a basement crawl space.

"They're Cabbage Patch Kid adoption papers," he said.

The children who treasured them moved out years ago, but these are among the several mementos damaged or destroyed by flooding nearly three weeks ago. Later, Heringer is grateful after finding a commerative plate, bought around the time of the birth of one his children, still intact.

They are just starting to fill their fourth industrial-sized Dumpster. Many of the mementos and toys his wife Carol stowed away for grandchildren will simply have to be thrown away, along with Sheetrock, flooring and other parts of their home of 30 years.

Their wedding album was soaked at flood level, but a daughter-in-law is restoring it as best she can. Other pictures were kept on higher ground. Contractors estimate it could be four months before things are back to almost normal.

A mounting task awaits south Bismarck residents who face up to six months of recovery from March's 500-year flood stage. County/city building inspector Ray Ziegler said there were at least one dozen homes deemed unsafe to occupy or inhabit after the southside ice jam forced some 1,700 people out of their homes virtually overnight.

Red ribbons mark where 4 feet of water enveloped trees at the Heringer home. Inside, the basement crawl space once held 5 feet of water, 2 feet of water flowed through their garage and 15 inches of water damaged their kitchen, dining area, pantry, laundry area and den.

"We call it bin living," Everett Heringer said, pointing to the clear plastic containers stacked with their possessions inside on a higher level of their home. It's tighter quarters, but they have begun living in a smaller portion of their house.

Carol Heringer shakes her head in disbelief. "We just installed a new kitchen." Its new cabinets are all stacked in the garage, where some will be used as equipment storage.

There was no time to remove a piano her mother left her as a family heirloom.

The Heringers had just left for a Panama Canal cruise when the flood hit. They were thousands of miles away when their son, Joe, voice rasping after moving their belongings, phoned them with the bad news.

Relatives and friends rushed to move as much as they could before emergency officials issued the mandatory evacuation from Fox Island on March 24.

The Heringers cut their cruise short, but it would be days before the could do anything to help with salvaging their belongings.

Carol Heringer estimates up to 100 of their friends have helped by removing debris, bringing them meals, pumping water out and much more. She has seen the best in people during these hard times.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency quickly rated their home as major damage.

The Heringers are still sorting through what insurance will pay, what they will pay and whether they will seek any low-interest emergency loans. "Our goal is to restore," Everett Heringer said.

Evan and Tove Mandigo of Timber Lane Place had about 20 minutes to vacate their home after the reverse 911 emergency system alerted them of the mandatory evacauation around 3 a.m. that Tuesday.

"We knew there was a potential problem, but we didn't know it was a crisis until that phone call. … We threw a few things together. When we left, the water was up to the doors of my four-wheel drive pickup," Evan Mandigo said.

"There was six feet of standing water in the basement. The first floor had three inches of water that came in and went out. That's why part of the Sheetrock was stripped up this far," he said.

The Mandigos were able to move back into their home about a week ago.

"We lost an entertainment center, electrical panels and a furnace. … The propane tank didn't move."

He said flood insurance won't cover contents in the basement, but will pay for cleanup costs, replacing electrical devices, drying up the impacted area and mechanical problems.

He is pleased with the speedy progress his contractors are making in the cleanup and recovery. "They were here within 15 minutes of when police let us in," Evan Mandigo said. "They set up their pumps and started sucking water out of the basement."

He said an incredible group of friends, their children and others have helped in the recovery.

A local kennel let them shelter their two dogs for free. Phone service just returned Thursday.

He has filled three industrial-sized Dumpsters, and his basement and first floor are gutted clean.

On Good Friday, he was awaiting the arrival of his contractor to start the recovery. His den, an upstairs family room and the main family room in the basement are all gutted.

"The basement is all dried out," he said. "We stripped the basement to the studs, and we're ready for reconstruction. We're at a level where they can start reconstruction.

"We're in the front end of the reconstruction."

(Reach reporter LeAnn Eckroth at 250-8264 or leann.eckroth@;bismarcktribune.com.)