Sep 19, 2008 6:12 pm US/Central
Some Munster Homes Deemed Uninhabitable
Devastated Flood Victims Will Have To Salvage What They Can, Move On
MUNSTER, Ind. (CBS) ―
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Bright orange or green stickers are placed on doors. Green means the house has been inspected and is safe for re-entry, and bright orange says the house is unsafe.
CBS
Many families in Munster, Ind., got the bad news Friday that they lost their homes.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports the Little Calumet River breeched its bank in multiple locations in northwest Indiana, sending water right into residential areas.
The smell of dead fish and raw sewage is unimaginable here. That's why there are teams in neighborhoods right now, assessing whether people will be able to stay in their homes.
Patty Larsen says nearly two decades of memories were washed away by the Little Calumet River. Her home, like many others in Munster, is a total loss.
"My girls are so upset because this is the only house they've known," Larsen said. "Photo albums...it's all gone."
Jim Carbone had chest-high water in his house. Now that it's receded, mud and raw sewage remain.
"It's pretty devastating knowing that we're gonna be displaced now and we have to find somewhere else to live," Carbone said.
The hardships faced by homeowners have been difficult for those called in to help too.
"With a flood, you're looking at pictuers, you're looking at documents... you've gotta touch every single piece of that stuff and i'ts gotta be tearing at you," said Munster Police Dept. Sgt. Steven Kovacik.
As the cleanup takes place, teams of inspectors made up of members of the police and fire departments, along with electrical and structural engineers, go to each house in Munster.
Bright orange or green stickers are placed on doors. Green means the house has been inspected and is safe for re-entry, and bright orange says the house is unsafe. That's the situation at Ronald Conn's house.
"We just got to take one day at a time, think positive," Conn said.
Conn's furnace and hot water heater are surrounded by mud. The force of the flood waters caved his basement wall in.
"I'm very lucky that I have flood insurance. I feel sorry for the people that don't have it and are in much worse shape than I am," he said.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) teams are going door-to-door, assessing the damage homeowners faced, to see if Munster qualifies for federal disaster assistance.
Click here for a link to the FEMA Web site for everything you need to know for assistance and cleanup.
(CBS 2 and the Post-Tribune are news partners covering stories in the communities of northwest Indiana. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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