Wedding anniversaries are meant to be special occasions when a couple enjoys each other's company and reflect on the time spent together.

Lansing residents Bill and Betty Ross, however, spent most of their 18th anniversary with a water removal and restoration crew, trying to sort out what was worth saving from their drenched basement.

"It's real depressing," Bill said. "Today's our anniversary and we get to do this."

The couple returned home Monday from Baldwin, Mich., to a basement submerged under two feet of water, which ruined a couch, new chair and a large-screen television. The couple is still awaiting a damage assessment for their water heater and furnace.

Bill said it will still be a few days before he knows the complete damage to his house, located on Barker Street. The couple's problem is similar to those of many others, after recent storms blasted the area this past weekend.

And with nine inches of rain since May 1, seven inches more than last year, businesses such as Lansing-based J&L Restoration and Cleaning have seen 50 percent to 60 percent more calls for water removal than normal, owner Jeff Johnson said.

Johnson's company had to import equipment from Indianapolis to meet customer demand.

"When you have these large property losses, you get short on equipment," he said.

To man the additional equipment, the company was forced to transfer five of its employees from its restoration crew to work on water removal.

Even then, employees are working longer hours than normal. In two days, workers have put in about 50 additional man-hours hours, sometimes working into the early morning, Johnson said.

The Ross family considers itself lucky to have been taken care of so quickly, especially since Betty said some businesses told them they might have to wait until Thursday for repairs.

Meanwhile, the couple searched for a new sump pump after their pump was submerged in water while the power was out. When power returned, the water shorted out the motor, Bill said.

After being unable to locate a new one at five different businesses, he said he was able to find one at a local hardware store. One outlet got a new shipment of pumps early Monday morning, Bill said.

While the Ross family was struggling, other people and cities conducted business as normal. No roads were closed in East Lansing because of flooding, according to police, and Okemos buildings were prepared for the deluge.

"We're used to this," said Renae Slaton, director of the Okemos Nursery School at 2165 Clinton Street.

It isn't the first time the nursery's basement has been flooded with water, she said. To combat the rising water, Slaton purchased an additional sump pump on top of one already in use, she said.

"We couldn't get by with just one," she said. "We were here all weekend to try to stay up with it."