APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – One week after flash flooding overwhelmed several communities, Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency for Northeast Wisconsin.
It comes as residents in Appleton are still cleaning up their homes and now dealing with burdensome expenses and insurance.
Fans drying out the walls and floors of Rick Gadbois’ basement has become an all too familiar sound for him. He’s one of the dozen or so homes that were overrun with water and sewage during last Friday’s flash flooding.
“Our septic tank was backing up cause there was no drainage, the sewer is coming through where the sump pump is, we threw another sump pump down there and then another one, we had three of them going, trying to keep the water out from down there and it was a losing battle because it still went up about a foot,” he says.
Now, Rick is facing more than $40,000 in damage and cleanup costs.
“The washer and dryer both got ruined. They don’t run, they won’t work at all now, and you can see how new they are. There’s $1,500,” he said.
Since he doesn’t live in a high flood-risk area, Gadbois is not covered by flooding insurance. If he’s lucky, his homeowner’s insurance will cover a few grand. He says he’s reached out to FEMA to see what assistance he can get.
“I don’t want a handout. I just need a hand up to try to — I just need to recoup,” Gadbois said.
Not being covered by flooding insurance is common for Northeast Wisconsin, so Rick isn’t alone.
“If you don’t live in a flood zone, you’re not going to have a flood policy. However, there are additional endorsements you can get added to your homeowner’s policy that can cover you in certain situations,” says Alex Athey with the Green Bay Insurance Center.
Like others in the neighborhood, Rick believes the city’s infrastructure is at fault for the flooding.
“The water coming to the house is 100% the city’s fault,” he says. “We have two little drainage things out there, we had to keep going out there making sure they stayed clean from all the debris plugging it up and wouldn’t go down, it was horrible.”
But Athey explains that even if the city’s infrastructure is to blame, flood insurance wouldn’t help.
“The sewers, drains, if that is the issue, flood policy doesn’t even cover that, you need water backup coverage,” Athey said.
FOX 11 has confirmed at least one resident is planning to sue the city of Appleton after some were previously considering it. It comes after a statement from the mayor Thursday, saying there was no evidence of a blockage in the city’s stormwater system.
So, for now, residents like Rick are left waiting, cleaning up, and hoping to catch a break. “Have you ever been to a water treatment plant? That’s what it smelled like. This is my home,” he said.
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