38 Everett homeowners file flood claims with the city

Everett, Wash. — Belongings once stored in Michelle Murphy's basement are now stacked up outside her home on Warren Avenue along with a ruined hot water heater and the furnace. Look inside and you'll see the wood floor has been ripped out, along with sheet rock after sewage backups. She said it came up, "through the toilet, through the sink, and through the washing machine."

It happened after a heavy rainstorm Aug. 29, then again Friday. More than a foot of human waste was bubbling into the basement causing thousands of dollars in damages. Murphy said, "it's a major catastrophe, I can't sleep at night, I'm worried." She's worried because she has no hot water, no heat and even the refrigerator has shorted out. She has no insurance to cover this kind of damage and said she needs help immediately.

Everett's public works director said, "we're very sympathetic, it's just a mess." Dave Davis said he's got people inspecting all 38 homes that have filed flood claims, to see whether the city is responsible for the damage. He explained that Everett has a combined sewer system that's more than a century old. Stormwater and sewage are collected in the same pipes. Davis said, "when those pipes fill up due to storms, there's no place for the water to go." A lot of it overflows into Port Gardner Bay and the Snohomish River. Some backs up into homes. The solution would be bigger pipes to handle the extra water. Davis said, "we are looking at where the deficiencies are and trying to upsize the pipe."