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Gene Kennedy ReportingFederal disaster relief is coming to many Utah counties still rebuilding after recent floods. How much money and when it arrives isn't clear, but it's money marked for infrastructure repair, not residents, anyway. Homeowners in Tooele were hoping for more help.
Back in late May flood waters filled Coleman Street like a river. You wouldn't know it now because homes have been cleaned up. Some have lost thousands of dollars in belongings, and they're hoping the city will pay for that.
May 30, a date residents of Coleman Street remember with disgust.
Tom: "And there was nothing you could do to stop it."
"Shooting like a rocket geyser right over my head."
A geyser of raw sewage, backing up into more than 20 homes when nearly four inches of rain flooded the town. The city spent more than $60-thousand helping residents clean up the mess, and city officials plan on giving more money to pay for repairs to homes. But residents feel that doesn't cut it.
Tom: "We want our personal property replaced."
Tom didn't want to be identified, but was willing to show his bathroom, which took a raw sewage hit, along with the basement. Today it's all clean, but furniture once there, is now a lost cause. Tom did not have flood insurance, but says that wouldn't matter.
Tom: "Insurance doesn’t cover it. It doesn't cover anything to do with sewage."
Tom and other residents say when the flood hit, the city's sewer system had some blockage. In a letter to one family, city leaders said the sewers were just filled well beyond capacity and the city was not negligent. City officials still say they're not at fault, but two weeks later the mayor wrote to the same family, acknowledging a restriction in the sewer line but saying that doesn't mean the City has a legal liability to pay for the damages.
Charlie Roberts, Mayor of Tooele: "Well, there's no change of mind. The liability is a legal issue determined by the insurance company where basically the city knew there was a problem and did nothing to solve it. As it happened, we weren't aware of the problem."
Kathryn Imlay, Victim: "It seems like they're trying to put a band-aid on the situation and make themselves look good; that's how it made me feel."
Tom: "We want full payment. We don't want, 'okay, here's 40 or 50%, you know. We want more than that. We want it the way it was."
An independent engineering firm is investigating how bad the sewer blockage was. Meanwhile, residents are heading to a city council meeting tomorrow night, hoping city leaders will change their minds and pay for personal belongings. The mayor says that's doubtful, and residents say if that isn't the case, they're considering filing a lawsuit.
