ST. LOUIS — ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis couple is demanding answers after sewage flooded their basement.
Joe and Lauren Green said sewage poured into their home in Dogtown on Tuesday. Since then, they have been working to clean up the mess.
The water left damage to the couple's floor, drywall and downstairs' bathroom. It also damaged furniture and their clothes, which the Greens had to throughout.
“We somehow have to replace all of this plus our furniture and all of my wife clothes that were damaged in the process," Joe said.
The couple blamed Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District for the backup. Joe and his wife said MSD had been working on a drain in his neighborhood earlier this week. Then, his home suddenly started to flood with water and dirt.
"There was about, like I said, 8 inches of water with mud, leaves with like mulch, silt, and little bit of sewage," Joe said.
MSD told 5 On Your Side the issue isn't its fault. It said the same torrential rains that brought flooding to a neighborhood in Clayton and Maplewood also impacted the couple's home.
The couple said they contacted their insurance company for help, but it refused and said it was a city's problem.
"It's just aggravating. Nobody wants to kind of accept the responsibility." Joe said.
Joe said to clean up the mess they had to take matters into their own hands, but it cost them hundreds of dollars.
“The insurance company doesn't want to do anything so I’m trying to get an answer as to why this is happening. I don’t want this to happen again because that's what I’m kind of worrying about." Joe said.
The Greens said it's going to cost them thousands of dollars to fix their home. They fear leaving the mess behind could breed mold and bacteria causing further damage to their house.
"It’s just a really frustrating experience and I hope that no one has to go through it," Joe said.
MSD has offered to reimburse the couple $3,000 for the sewer overflow, but the couple said it'll take more than that to fix all the damage to their home.
"I haven't figured out how I'm going to exactly pay for anything yet," Joe said.
MSD told 5 On Your Side they are investigating the couple's case.
