BILLINGS — LAUREL - Robert Castleberry has lived down by the Yellowstone River in Laurel for the past 24 years and this past week was a feeling of deja vu.
You see, floodwaters also surrounded Castleberry’s home back in 2011 following an oil spill on the Yellowstone River. The contamination from the spill resulted in his house being torn down.
But this time Castleberry was better prepared.
"The lowest floor in your house has to be a foot above the flood plain. Well, my foundation is a foot above the flood plain and my lowest floor in my house is at least 3 feet above that. So, I am high and dry with my house," said Castleberry.
Robert wasn’t too worried last week when it came to his house. But when he woke up the morning of the flood the water was already over the levee in front of his home.
"It was running over that levee in front of my house, and I said that isn’t good so I didn’t want my pick-up in it and all of that stuff so I jumped in my outfit and ran up to my daughter's place and stayed there for a night," said Castleberry.
Castleberry dodged a bullet this time around for the most part. But he’s come to learn that’s just the price you pay living so close to the river.
"Oh yeah, my garage, all my power tools, my riding lawn mowers. Just everything in my garage is shot because it got like 3 feet of water in it. Better my garage than my house," said Castleberry.
