KENOSHA, Wis. — A group of neighbors in Kenosha are desperate for solutions, as they clean up raw sewage in their homes. They reached out to Spectrum News 1 for help.

More than 20 Kenosha homeowners have been cleaning up since Sunday, after a 24-inch pipe became blocked with what the city thinks was flushable wipes. An investigation is underway to uncover the exact cause.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 20 Kenosha homeowners have been cleaning up since Sunday, after a 24-inch pipe became blocked with what the city thinks was flushable wipes

  • An investigation is underway to uncover the exact cause

  • Curt Czarnecki is the general manager of Kenosha Water Utility. He said the city is organizing ways to help home owners clean up and asked the health department to offer assistance

  • However, with some residents' insurances not covering damages, people impacted said they are losing hope

Rosie Herrera’s basement filled with raw waste because of the sewage block. She said she’s exhausted from cleaning and is devastated about the damage.

“I just started crying, because there were feces everywhere. That’s all I can tell you. There was black water all over my basement and the first thing I noticed was, oh my God, what are we going to do,” Herrera said.

Rosie Herrera’s basement filled with raw waste because of the sewage block. She said she’s exhausted from cleaning and is devastated about the damage. (Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

She hired a clean-up crew to help, but it’s an out-of-pocket expense Herrera said she can’t afford right now. She said her insurance doesn’t cover sewage back-ups.

“There is no aid, no funds, no nothing has come to help us… We have been on our own, our neighbors and ourselves have been on our own and we are helping each other out,” Herrera pointed out.

It’s a similar story for next-door neighbor Melissa Beck. Her garage is filled with everything she could salvage from her basement. She and her husband Dan’s first worry was getting their two young children out of the house when the raw sewage started filling their basement.

A look at the Beck family's basement on Sunday, when the pipe backed up raw sewage into her basement. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Beck)

“Our next steps are demolishing our basement and so we have begun the dry wall cuts and we are trying to get things dried out, re-sanitize everything,” Beck said.

Curt Czarnecki is the general manager of Kenosha Water Utility. He said it appears the pipe got clogged with flushable wipes and other materials, but the city is still looking into exactly what happened.

“This particular main is typically a pretty high flowing main because it does take a big portion of our service area, so this is very uncommon and this is something that is a little bit more challenging to investigate because of that,” Czarnecki explained. 

Curt Czarnecki is the general manager of Kenosha Water Utility. He said it appears the pipe got clogged with flushable wipes and other materials, but the city is still looking into exactly what happened. (Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

He said the city is organizing ways to help home owners clean up and asked the health department to offer assistance.

However, Herrera and other homeowners who experienced the sewage back-up are losing hope.

“I don’t know what we are going to do. I’m going to be honest; I don’t know what we are going to do. Right now, all we are concentrating on is cleaning it up and stop smelling it because it’s everywhere,” Herrera shared.