August 17, 2025 – West Bend, Wi – Dumpsters line 16th Avenue near Walnut Street in West Bend, Wi, as neighbors make repeated trips from flooded basements carrying destroyed remnants of their lives. “The sewage came up quickly,” said one neighbor. “My basement wall collapsed, and I barely got out with my baby,” said another.

Many homeowners on 16th Avenue are fearful to go on record with their complaints.

“We’ve been complaining for years that something needs to be done to fix the drainage and this street. All we got was higher taxes,” said a homeowner.

Scammers have already taken advantage of the elderly couple on the block. This article will only use first names to protect the residents from more hardship.

Now, with catastrophic damage from record rainfall the neighbors are stuck. Homeowners carrying a mortgage were told they couldn’t get flood insurance because they weren’t living in a flood plain.

“We hear things like it was the administration from 15 years ago that should have taken care of this. Now I’ve lost my home – there’s been absolutely no help.”

Jessica retracts that. “There was a mom and her daughter who came down the street handing out a cleaning product and gift cards to McDonald’s. Everyone cried; that was the most generous assistance we’ve received so far.”

The seven homeowners on 16th Avenue paid for Dumpsters on Monday, the day after storms last weekend. “We were told the Dumpsters could stay in the street for 30 days and we wouldn’t be fined,” said one exhausted homeowner. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Rita and Daniel have lived in their home on 16th Avenue for 58 years. They’ve never had water in the basement.

“I heard something Sunday morning about five o’clock, so i went to the basement, and saw the water coming up from the sewer. We never had that or any wet spots in the basement at all. The sump pump was running but there’s no way it could keep up,” said Daniel.

“The water was coming up about that high out of the sewer, and you got a sump pump that absolutely is not going to keep up. The water was so strong it shot up through the floor drain and started punching through the drywall.”

Questioned how many inches in his basement, Daniel said, “between three and four feet.”

“There’s a crack in the wall; we’ve got a foundation guy coming and everything was damaged including the furnace, washer, dryer, water heater, and water softener.”

Rita started to cry. She had been on the phone with insurance which said flood damage wasn’t covered.

Daniel said they were looking for help. “Some city officials have been through. I didn’t see the mayor. People were taking down information… but I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know if we can get any outside help from the state or FEMA or anything like that.”

In the meantime a pile of wet items from their basement lies on their front lawn waiting for the $6,000 cleaning service. That coat is tacked on to $600 out of pocket for the Dumpster.

Cydney and Robert have lived in their home three years. “The date of the storm was the exact three-year anniversary that we bought the house,” said Robert.

Serving in the Army National Guard, Robert was up north when the storms came through. “My wife was alone here with the baby. She said around 5 a.m. she’s in the basement, and that’s when all the water came rushing in.”

The couple walk to the back of the home. Blue tarps cover a sink hole. A 15-foot-long section of wall has collapsed and there’s a clear line of sight into their basement.

“I was cleaning up water and saw it coming through the side windows, and then all of a sudden, there was cracking and breaking, and the water rushed in, and it almost took me out,” said Cydney. “I ran up the stairs and the wall collapsed.”

The couple said they had two inspections before purchasing the home.

“Our foundation is basically gone,” said Cydney. “Two guys from the city came by, they were just collecting numbers, like an estimate of damage. They took five pictures of the house and then moved on. I don’t think they’ve said anything yet about helping.”

The couple felt their future was in jeopardy. They said they’re looking for HELP.

Mikayla and Jake have lived in their home six years since June 2019. “We woke up to hell on Sunday …,” said Jake. “I think it was Sunday. This whole week is a blur.”

The couple heard the rain, looked out the window, saw it near the top of their four-foot fence and then went to check the basement.

“We heard running water and it was just pouring in through our basement windows,” said Jake.

“It was our finished basement, and we were trying to get all of our kids toys up to higher ground to save things. All of a sudden, I just seen bubbling from the floor, and I was like, oh my God, the sewer is backing up,” said Mikayla. “Within 10 minutes, it was already past my ankles. We had over three feet of water in our basement.”

Then the news got worse. “We came out to our front yard, and I had a brand new 2025, minivan, and it was up to the door handles in water. It’s totaled.”

The couple said this has been a nightmare. “We need help, just help,” said Jake. “And money, lots of money.”

Jake is self-employed and Mikayla said she burned though her paid time off.  “Everything we had is now in that dumpster,” she said.

Jessica and Robert have lived in their home on 16th Avenue for three years. They watched as a huge pond formed in the street at the end of their driveway and then water started to creep towards their garage and their home.

“Any rain we get standing water,” said Jessica. “This is the lowest point of the street, so it all accumulates right at the end of our driveway, literally right at the end of our whole backyard and just puddles.”

Questioned if they’ve notified the city, Jessica said, “I expressed concern over a year ago about groundwater issues and lack of maintenance. As far as the street is concerned, there are sidewalk sinkholes popping up, debris in the sewer that could contribute to backup, and any groundwater issues as a result of rain that backs up from the creek it comes through this marsh area and behind our home.

“The water just bubbles up through the sewer systems and all the manholes, every time it rains heavy.”

Jessica said she’s asked for remediation efforts since there is a history of flooding in the area.

“The only confirmation I received was that this area is pretty low. I was sent the FEMA flood plain map, which I had already had. But the long and short of it is we’re told you can either sell and move or build up your lot,” she said.

“I also expressed to the city engineer that I had already tried to obtain some sort of flood insurance and we weren’t considered because our dwelling specifically, was not in the floodplain.”

Jessica said it was frustrating as there’s been knowledge of a history of flooding problems in the area but “minimal to no communication, at best.”

“We’re extremely frustrated. We’ve only been here since July of 2022, and this has been an issue since we moved in. What’s even more upsetting is that groundwater issues and previous issues with water coming up through the basement were never disclosed, by our home inspection or the real estate agent.

“We just want to let the city know that we’re upset and we’ve had half our life wiped away.
The house is gone. My son’s whole room is gone. Everything he owned is gone.”

Jessica and Robert said they have at least $70,000 worth of damage just in the basement. Click HERE to help.

“This is all happening around the same time we found out our property tax went up over $1,000 a year,” she said.  “I am upset, because I’m wondering as a result of this, will the FEMA floodplain now be reevaluated?

“In my opinion, this whole half of the street and even maybe some of the homes on 15th shouldn’t be here to begin with; we all have similar issues where the water was coming from the drain in our basement.”

Below is correspondence between Jessica and the mayor.

A call was also placed to alderman Rhett Engelking. This article will be updated when information is available.

We have already done this along with all of our fellow neighbors impacted by the ground water issues.

We need action Sir. It is of no surprise that this specific street has the worst damage by far in the whole city and we have yet to see any news about it.

There has been zero disclosure of historical ground water issues to any of us that have purchased within the last 5-10 years and those there longer have had their fair share of issues getting the city to do just that, act.

We have correspondence with city engineers, from prior homeowners on N 15th and the ‘remediation’ that was done in their backyards starting back in 2017. Their backyards are now full of standing water, sink hole issues etc. These are the same houses suffering severe foundation/structural integrity concerns.

I have been trying to obtain flood insurance for well over a year and have also had my fair share of correspondence with the same city engineer/insurance which proved to be pointless. We built up our lot which did nothing and our entire yard is in the flood zone. We were told if our dwelling was not then it was NA. How can a whole yard be flooded with no impact to the home itself especially the basement? Where is the rationale here?

We have significant foundation damage and cracks that repair of which will exceed any value of the home itself. We already overpaid when purchased and put at least 20-30k into updating the home already. Half of our living space and contents is gone. I am pretty sure our son went to school with yours and he lost EVERYTHING. We then find out the seller’s agent was the prior owner’s son who clearly had knowledge of all prior issues. That our home inspector was a prior alderman?

This section of our street/block should be condemned. Homes should never have been built here. Especially ours. If you have to fill in the lot to build on it in the first place that speaks for itself.

Something must be done. Please come down and take a look at what is left. We are still waiting on remediation companies and insurance etc.

The best thing we have seen by far is a fellow community member and her daughter come around and hand out bottles of Fabulosos and McDonald’s gift cards to us at our doorsteps which felt better than any action from city officials thus far. Thank God for people like them!

Below is another article published Sunday, August 11, 2025 regarding damaged caused by flooding. 

August 11, 2025 – Washington Co., WI — After a weekend storm dumped more than 10 inches of rain across Washington County, Wi, homeowners are dealing with flooded basements, damaged parking lots, waterlogged vehicles, fallen trees, and roof leaks. But according to local insurance agent Don Patnode, many residents are finding out the hard way that most of this storm damage is not covered under a standard homeowner’s policy.

“We’re getting plenty of calls,” Patnode said. “Unfortunately, these types of water events are not covered by a typical homeowner’s policy. If you’ve had water infiltration and your sump pump can’t keep up, or it fails, or there’s a power outage, you could have some limited coverage if you’ve purchased the right endorsement — but even then, it’s usually around $5,000. Most people are not going to have coverage for any of this stuff.”

Patnode said the first step is to review your policy. “If they don’t have the endorsement, we have to tell them to clean it up, remove their carpets and padding, and start the dry-out process,” he said. “It’s a very difficult conversation when you get this much rain. Industry-wide, groundwater infiltration just isn’t covered.”

Homeowners awoke Sunday to many instances of damage. On Silverbook Drive in West Bend, WI a family who lived in their home since 1965 had significant water in their finished basement. Another neighbor off of Fifth Avenue and Maple Street saw their back parking lot washed away.

Click HERE as Property Loss Management offers tips on how to deal with a wet basement

Damaged was scattered across communities like Richfield, Hartford, Slinger, and Germantown. There was a report of a collapsed basement wall and even a sinkhole on a front lawn on S. Main Street in West Bend.

Patnode said those losses typically won’t be paid by insurance. “Lightning is a covered peril, but your ground isn’t covered. If your yard washes away or your foundation is compromised by hydrostatic pressure, there’s no coverage for that.”

Roof and tree damage is a different story. “If you have a roof leak caused by wind or hail, that’s a covered peril. And if a tree branch falls on your house during a storm, that’s covered, too,” Patnode said. “But what we’re seeing right now is primarily groundwater building up in the soil and forcing its way into homes — and that’s not covered.”

The same principle applies to vehicles stuck in floodwaters. “Car flooding is covered under comprehensive auto coverage,” Patnode said. “If the car is totaled, the payout is based on the vehicle’s value minus the deductible.”

As more rain is forecast, Patnode urged homeowners to focus on mitigation. “Get rid of carpet, padding, laminate floors, and foam underlayment. Use dehumidifiers and fans — especially dehumidifiers. Turn your air conditioner down so it pulls more moisture out of the air. The key is to extract the water as soon as possible to avoid mold,” he said.

Patnode’s final piece of advice: “Call your insurance company, verify what coverage you have, and act fast to protect your home. The damage won’t wait, and neither should you.”

On a side note: The damaged parking lot was in West Bend, Wi behind BJ & Company. Jeff Rosenberg from SKB Lawn Care stepped in and volunteered his time and skid steer to helping clean up the debris.

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