Washers and floods go hand in hand and can cause huge damage to the laundry room floor and the rooms below. Take these four steps to prevent a disaster if an overflow or leak occurs. 1. Install a recessed washer box (available at home centers) in the wall directly behind the washing machine. This recessed box provides connections with shutoff valves for the water supply hoses and a drain for the washer’s discharge hose. For easy access and servicing, mount the bottom of the box so it’s about level with the top of the washing machine’s control panel. Be sure to choose a box with the shutoff valves included. 2. Install a washer tray under your washing machine. Set the tray tight against the back wall framing and run the drywall down to it. Our tray’s drain does not connect directly to the house’s waste line. It’s an indirect line that dumps into a laundry tub, floor drain or even outside through the wall. If the machine leaks, the water will be caught in the tray and safely drained away.

Washer trays are available at home centers. 3. Make sure the supply hoses are in good shape. Check older hoses for cracks and replace if necessary. If you’re buying new hoses, consider the no-burst ones; these rubber hoses are sheathed with braided stainless steel. Be sure to use new hose washers. Connect and hand-tighten the hoses to the supply valves and the washing machine inlet. Turn the water on and check for leaks. If necessary, tighten further either by hand or with pliers. 4. Turn off the water to the supply hoses when the washing machine is not in use for additional peace of mind. This is easy to do with a single-lever shut off such as the one shown here.Michael Merritt worked hard Monday cleaning the white van he and his family had been rescued from the night before.With a sweat stained towel draped around his neck and the sun beating down, Merritt spoke at a frenetic pace, the adrenaline kicking in again at the memory of his family’s ordeal.“When I drove into the water, it was about two feet, and, I swear to God, it jumped over three foot in seconds,” Merritt said.

“The lady in the house here described it as a rushing river. It doesn’t even seem possible now that were standing here.”Outreach efforts underway for flood victimsNorwood residents, many who have lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years, said they look out for each other. So it was no surprise that when the floodwaters rose, residents rose to the challenge and rescued those in need.Q102 goes 'over and beyond' in flood assistanceThe Merritts were on their way back from Dayton where they celebrated the 13th birthday of their son, Michael.Merritt said the family was blocks away from their house and wanted to get back as soon as possible as the storm intensified. He had driven through several puddles on the way home and thought the one at the intersection of Ashland and Elsmere avenues was no different.Merritt knew immediately he was in trouble. Water rose to the windows of the car.“We hit that deep spot," Merritt said. "I swear to God, it was coming up on the windshield.”

Then the car doors opened and some of the neighborhood's residents pulled out his three youngest children, ages six to 11.The rest of the family made it out and slogged their way through the torrent to safety.Merritt doesn’t know if his van is salvageable. He just paid it off. But he’s happy his family is safe and is grateful to his rescuers.“Patio Furniture Chair Cushions WalmartThey ran straight out,” Merritt said. Tires Plus Tire Alignment Cost“They didn’t hesitate to get in the water.”Purple Elephant CurtainsNeighbors across the street witnessed the scene.The intersection had turned into a whirlpool, said Jerry and James Iorfida, who moved into a white frame house at the intersection on Aug. 1.Jerry Iorfida described water coming from all directions.“

It was just coming down from that hill and that hill and that hill and that hill,” Jerry Iorfida said. “Then people were coming through and pushing waves, water kept creeping up.”The Iorfidas watched with mounting fear as floodwaters inched closer to the fuse box in the basement. The water stopped at five feet, inches from the fuse box and potential catastrophe. It did claim the couple’s new washer and dryer.Much of the damage in Norwood was confined to cars and basements, largely on the streets of Jefferson, Maple, Floral and Ashland.Judging from the detritus in basements, expect to see some new Christmas displays in Norwood come December. A muddy tangle of Santas, ornaments and furniture festered in Jean Rains’ basement Monday afternoon. The Iorfidas also lost a raft of ornaments.Floodwaters on Rains' stretch of Jefferson rose several feet Sunday night, claiming some cars. The water was three feet high in her basement and washed away 50 years of memories, she said.Rains, who has lived in her house for a half-century, said she never expected Norwood to experience this kind of water damage.“

This is the first time it’s flooded,” she said.Rains sat on her porch with her children and grandchildren on Monday. The cleanup has kind of turned into an impromptu family reunion, the family members said with a laugh. They waited together for the insurance agent to assess the damage.Rains' son, Danny, lives a few blocks away and rushed to his mother’s house when the waters started to look treacherous. He waded into the waist-deep flood in front of her home to try to clean the storm grates, but to no avail.He also worked his way to a submerged car to check to see if anyone was trapped. It was empty, though the car remained on the street, Monday, covered in mud with its bumper torn off. No one on the street knew who owned the car.“You just couldn’t stop it,” Danny Rains said. Residents seemed stunned by the flood. Bill Montgomery had seven inches of rainwater back-up in his basement.“You wouldn’t think a city like this so far away from the river could flood,” Montgomery said.