Parma residents plagued with thousands of dollars worth of flooding and sewage damage

PARMA, Ohio (WOIO) - On Friday, water rushed into southwest Parma neighborhoods, sending a mixture of creek overflow and sewage water into the basements of many area homes.

One of those homes belongs to the family of Andrew Porach, who was asleep at home at the time of the flood.

"It was a little intense. I was down there in the basement, and I reached down and I woke up. The water was up to my ankles. So pretty intense," he said.

After pumping out the water, it was clear some of the family's belongings were not usable.

“You know, it was a lot from sewage, so we were able to suck it out. Basically we’re sanitizing everything we can keep,” said Porach.

The rainwater rose quickly Friday, flooding the lot of a Sam's Club and filling many basements and garages with the unsavory and smelly mixture of sewer water. On Monday morning, many families were still surveying the damage, some of them estimating the cleanup will cost thousands.

Andrew Porach says his family is nearly done, but only after a lot of work.

"Probably like 12 hours the first day of cleanup," he said. "We've got a little bit to do still. Sanitizing, basically."

Another family nearby says they lost everything in their basement, and tells 19 News they had to rip up the carpet in the formerly finished rec room. They estimate the damage at $25,000.

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