BERKELEY, Mo. – A Berkeley resident is dealing with thousands of dollars in damage and living with no heat or hot water after a water main break sent water rushing into her home last week. Now, the water company’s insurance says it will not cover it.

Val Joyner woke up last Monday to the sound of rushing water outside her home.

“Water. Just water everywhere,” Joyner said. “It was not like anything I’d ever seen before.”

Joyner looked down into her basement and saw toys, clothes and other supplies floating up the stairs.

The flooding came from a water main break near the stop sign in her front yard. The water rushed down the street into her garage and basement. A water mark on the garage wall reaches nearly to Joyner’s waist.

“I’ve been here for a while, so I’ve got some furniture down there, some clothes,” Joyner said. “The thing that makes me really sad is my daughter, she has an organization, and they like to give back to the community.”

Toys, bikes, and hair products meant to help kids in need this holiday season were destroyed. The hot water heater and HVAC system will also need to be replaced.

But Missouri American Water’s insurance provider has denied responsibility. Property owner Jeff Sullivan received a denial letter stating the company “responded quickly to turn off the water” and that “the water main does not have a history of breaks.” Now, Sullivan, who is retired, worries he will have to go through his insurance.

“I don’t know why I have to go through my insurance company and pay my $1,000 deductible for something that I feel is the water company’s fault,” Sullivan said. “Their property failed, obviously.”

Missouri American Water said in a statement, “If a claim was denied, it was done so as defined by information in our operating tariff, which is approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission.”

FOX 2 News reached out to the Missouri Public Service Commission but has not yet received a response. An attorney who specializes in tenants’ rights told FOX 2 that liability may depend on whether the break was foreseeable.

Joyner feels this determination was made quickly and hopes Missouri American Water will reconsider.

“Really come out and see not only the damage that was caused to the street and the landscaping, but the damage that was caused to me and also the little kids,” she said.

She said she had tried to contact the water company on Friday when she received the insurance denial letter but has not heard back yet.