Sewage floods neighboring homes in Pacific again

PACIFIC, Mo. – A week after backed-up sewage flooded homes in one Pacific neighborhood, some neighbors said they were impacted yet again by Tuesday’s heavy rainfall.

Unfortunately, flooded streets in this part of town have unsanitary implications. Allie Dudley said her basement was flooded with more than three inches of sewage water Tuesday.

“It was murky, dirty, brown, nasty water,” Dudley said. “The smell, the look of the water, you just know… it’s sewage.”

She wasn’t alone, either. Carol Minton took us down to her basement last week, which was also flooded with sewage. She said things got worse after we left.

“I slipped in whatever and fractured my ankle,” Minton said. “All you can do is fight.”

While neighbors wait on insurance claims, the cleanup continues. One neighbor said the city’s insurance company told him they would reimburse him for damages to his basement, but he would have to cover the costs for now.

But with many in this area on a fixed income, they said that’s not good enough.

“I feel like we’re sitting in stagnant water, literally. Just kind of treading water,” neighbor Blake Poertner said.

FOX 2 contacted the Mayor of Pacific, Heather Filley, for comment. She reiterated that Tuesday’s storm could not have come at a worse time, and shared the following statement:

“Just as folks were cleaning up from last week, another round of storms came through, causing more issues than the last one. Once again, our city workers were working overtime, doing the best they could with the situation they were dealt. Multiple unprecedented back-to-back rain events does not allow for recovery. While the recent storm water project was not completed on Tuesday as planned, workers were able to get one of the pumps online right as the hardest of the rain hit. We believe it did assist.

We do have another storm water project planned, which has been engineered to help with the issues we have in the southwestern portion of our city. There are easements that are in the process of being obtained and then we can send it out for bid.

For those that have filed claims, the insurance company is guiding those homeowners on next steps.”

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