The streets in a Richmond Heights neighborhood are lined with ruined belongings as residents clean up following Sunday night’s storm, and some who live there think MSD should pay for the cleanup.
Cyndi Hebenstreit lives at the bottom of the hill on East Linden. She said hail pounded her house for about 30 minutes, and a once dense pine tree on the west side of her house is now shredded. She said 10 minutes into it water started coming up the drains and coming into the garage.
“We lost everything on the lower level, all three of our cars—they were floating. The water came down the street and down our drive, and part of our drive is missing,” Hebenstreit said.
She said MSD said it’s not their problem, that there’s no way their system could handle all that rain. “Well, I didn’t notice any other subdivisions in St. Louis County being flooded. They said it’s because we sit low—well, there’s a lot of subdivisions that sit a lot lower than us. They have to resolve this.”
Another homeowner, Donna Robey, agrees according to Fox2 News.
“(If) that system is functioning in other neighborhoods and not here then of course I feel they are responsible for it and they should be financially responsible for the cost,” she told Fox2. “Most of the neighbors have told me they do not have insurance that covers this specific damage.”
Fox2 reports that MSD is investigating the problem on East Linden—but if it is ruled overland flooding, which seems to be the the case, the homeowners are financially responsible.
Read the full article in Fox2 News.
It seems fairly obvious to me that overdevelopment in the immediate area without taking into account the increased demand on the drainage system is at fault. It would me interesting to review MSD’s plans and forecasts when the interchange was reconstructed and metrolink was added.
I have an admission from msd that states the sewer was overcharged. they are going to give me a max of $3,000 but I have to pay the deductible of $100. it’s bullshit. I lost 2 new cars. and so far my furnace. hot water heater, washer, dryer deep freeze. not to mention I had a partial finished living room. and everything I owned I had stored. ALL RUINED. msd will not cover my cars. or anything over the $2,900. see the previous posts about Yale flooding for the photos of my car! FYI you dryer and hot water heaters have insulation. so even if they function you have to replace for sanitary purposes. maplewood a sewer and storm drains are connected.
There is a sewer capacity problem here. I’m sure glad they didn’t approve the 250+ unit apartments at the site of the temple on East Linden. Nothing should be developed there until this problem is addressed by MSD.
We had a lot of damage on our street too (Blendon Pl). The draining water had so much pressure behind it that it not only flowed into our house through the drain in the basement, but it actually burst our main stack, which we now have to replace (costing thousands of dollars). MSD will not take any responsibility, they never do, but my question is if they are not maintaining their system (which we all pay for!), how are they not responsible? At least for part of it? MSD does not maintain the sewers the way they should, so that when there is a big storm there is less damage. But they will raise the rates after this, and where will that money go?