Floodwaters rushed into a neighborhood near 48th and Center on Thursday, bringing debris with them. Neighbors say they have gone to the city seeking solutions to the flooding, but were told simply to move.
"I've been in this house for over 32 years. I raised my two kids here," said Mary Locati, "I get hip-deep water inside my garage," M. Scott added.
M. Locati and her son Scott said the area around their home never used to flood. But in recent years, they have spent hours scooping water from their basement and have had to replace their garage door twice.
KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree met with Cyrus Jaffery, CEO of Jaffery Insurance. He explained that many people believe they can't get insurance if they live in a flood zone, but that's not true.
"You can get earthquake insurance, you can get flood insurance, you can get life insurance. All these things are not required by law, but you can absolutely get them at any time you want," Jaffrey said.
M. Locati said she and her son have been battling to keep her street flood-free. She's gone back and forth with the city about what can be done.
"What can we do? Like, what's on the table to be able to be done? Their response was, 'You can move.'" S. Locati said.
KMTV reporter Hannah McIlree asked them how that response made them feel.
"Awful. Frustrated. The city is supposed to be working for me. I pay taxes; I pay sewer taxes. It is not my fault that their sewer and infrastructure are not built properly or updated," M. Locati replied.
The sewer pipes that direct water away from their home are only 15 inches in circumference, and the Locatis believe that's insufficient.
"The sewer just can't keep up, and the manhole cover pops off and backs up, which is why we get all the flooding—because the water has nowhere to go in the sewer," S. Locati said.
The Locati's said they love their neighborhood and don't want to move. They hope the city will re-evaluate the sewer system and make improvements
