The storms that drenched the Kansas City metro in the overnight hours between July 16 and 17, dropping heavy rainfall across the area, caused devastating losses for some residents. Some parts of the metro saw between 7 and 11 inches of rain, and the rainfall led to flash flooding, storm damage and a slew of water rescues.
Kansas City surpassed its own daily record with 2.78 inches of rain on Wednesday. In Wyandotte County, flooding was the worst seen since 1993, according to the Unified Government.
For Manuel Ramirez, those storms have left him in a heart-wrenching position.
The outside of Manuel Ramirez’s Independence home after his basement wall collapsed during severe storms in mid-July. The damage led city officials to condemn the home. Manuel Ramirez
Ramirez’s Independence home was condemned by the city after a basement wall collapsed during the storms. The collapse allowed outside water into the basement and damaged many of his belongings.
Alert of the collapse came around 3 a.m., when Ramirez’s four dogs wouldn’t stop barking, he said. When he opened the basement door, all he saw was a “river.”
“It’s hard for me right now because I purchased the house with my savings, you know, in 2019 and I was very proud of myself. And I put a lot of work, it was like three months of work on myself, you know, I spent a lot of money on it, and it’s just, you know, it’s been hard,” Ramirez said.
The home never had flooding issues before, Ramirez told The Star. Even with severe storms, water never touched the basement, he said.
Now, Ramirez said he and his husband are just trying to recover.
The inside of Manuel Ramirez’s basement after the wall collapsed during severe storms. The wall will have to be completely rebuilt. Manuel Ramirez
Waiting for repairs
The couple stayed in a hotel for a few days after the storms, an expensive stint even without the pet charges they had to pay, and have since secured an Airbnb from a friend.
In about a month, the two will move into another Airbnb on the same property as a more permanent solution until the house is fixed.
“(Our friends have) been very flexible, you know, they’ve been working with us and helping us out and we’re really thankful for that too … They’re not very close friends, but sometimes strangers do more than people you know,” Ramirez said.
A self-described animal lover, Ramirez said they could bring their dogs to the Airbnb, but not Mama, their cat. She has a safe place on the main level of the home, he said, which was undamaged by the storms. Ramirez brings her food and water each day and checks up on her, but said she “knows something’s wrong.”
“I saw her (Monday), she’s sad … she was kind of like, wondering if we were gonna come back or something. I saw her face,” he said.
He and his husband are still working to continue some upkeep of the home while they wait for repairs.
They bought a generator to power a dehumidifier and fans to prevent mold from growing, a backup battery for WiFi, and have motion-activated security cameras to ensure security while they’re away. The couple is also responsible for repairing a damaged water shut-off valve.
“We just got a letter from the city saying that we gotta fix it so they can shut the water off. I don’t know, it requires some digging and replacing the valve that goes into our house, so that’s another thing now,” Ramirez said.
They’ve also hired someone to help them navigate insurance too, something that’s proven difficult in the aftermath of the damage.
Insurance says the damage was due to flooding, which isn’t covered under their insurance policy. In a Facebook post, the Independence Fire Department said they responded to multiple calls as a result of flash flooding, including the collapse.
But from Ramirez’s perspective, the wall collapse was an accident resulting from the storm. Ramirez and his husband tried to get their insurance to cover the collapse and subsequent damage, but insurance denied the claim on Wednesday.
“We are very disappointed,” Ramirez said in a text message. “The structural engineer didn’t mention that the collapsed wall was due to the flood. He said it was the pressure built behind the structure. (It’s) so overwhelming, I need time to process this but the repairs can’t wait.”
The entirety of the collapsed wall will have to be rebuilt from the bottom, and the basement structure will need to be fixed due to cracking. The walls will also have to be leveled since the house has shifted.
“We hope our insurance adjuster (will) review the denial letter and appeal. But we don’t know if he will be able to do it, so we are on our own so far. We are waiting on a call from our adjuster to see if he can appeal the denial or if we need a lawyer,” Ramirez said.
‘Nothing but home’
In a GofundMe fundraiser started by Ramirez, he said the loss has not just been physical, but has uprooted his family’s “sense of safety, stability and peace.”
Ramirez told The Star it’s been hard to sleep with everything going on, but he’s been “trying to stay strong.”
Amid the emotional toll and “trying not to break apart” himself, he and his husband have also been leaning on each other throughout this difficult time. Friends have been there for “whatever we need,” but in his marriage “it’s a lot of emotional support,” Ramirez said.
“You get drained emotionally. So, I try to support him, I try to tell him that everything’s gonna be okay, and you know, trying to stay positive with him. He also said that no worries, that we will figure things out and if insurance doesn’t want to pay we will figure it out. And you know, it’s a mutual support. He’s been really nice with me, and I get sad because I wish I could do more,” Ramirez said.
As it stands now, it’s unknown if a lawyer will need to be hired to continue the insurance battle. The couple is just trying to keep up with their expenses between repair costs, upkeep materials, rent and other living expenses. But the bills are adding up quickly, Ramirez said.
“Hopefully we can get our house fixed soon, you know. There’s nothing but home, and you understand that when you don’t have it,” he said.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 10:42 AM.
Maddie Carr was a breaking news intern for The Star in 2025. A rising senior at Emporia State University, she is studying sociology and is also the editor-in-chief of ESU’s student newspaper, The Bulletin. In 2024, Maddie became the first college student to be named Kansas Journalist of the Year by the Kansas Press Association.
