Lemay residents want flash flood issues solved

Aug 09, 2023

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LEMAY, Mo. — On Wednesday afternoon, Constance Pesek stood in her now dry basement in Lemay, Missouri with mixed emotions.

"Right now, there's still standing water in my furnace," Pesek said.

On Sunday night, Pesek returned home to a stunning sight in her basement.

"All I had to do was open the door. I could see all that water," she said.

Chest-high water covered her steps, destroyed her appliances, clothes and a lot more.

"We have lost our HVAC system, our hot water heater, our washer and dryer. We had a deep freezer full. We had a spare fridge down there full," a frustrated Pesek said.

She and her family have lived in the 300 block of West Loretta Avenue for 15 years.

"On Saturday, when it rain, a little bit of water got in our basement. On Sunday, we knew it was gonna rain again, but I didn't know it was gonna be that bad," Pesek said.

"I'm frustrated because it's costing a pretty penny to replace everything," Tasha Blevins said.

Blevins lives down the street from Pesek. She also stacked flood-ravaged furniture and a number of destroyed items in her driveway.

Blevins' cell phone video shows the rapid, rushing water also turned her basement into a river.

"My two bedrooms in my basement were destroyed. All the cleaning and sanitizing we have to do is out of pocket. We really don't have the extra money to do all this," Blevins said.

"I just think it's unacceptable. Something needs to be done," Pesek said.

A spokesman for Metropolitan Sewer District Project Clear says their crews have been busy all week.

Sean Stone also says they are aware of four homes on Loretta Avenue impacted by the flash flooding.

"One of them has been found to be the result of what we call 'over-land flooding,' something that's not associated with the sewers. Two of the those we don't have a final full investigation done yet. I would anticipate you know findings happening once our engineers are on the ground on Thursday," Stone added.

Pesek says she is the first homeowner on her street to receive $3,000 in flood assistance from the company.

"It's a $3,000 claim and they withhold $100 for the deductible. It's going to help, but it's not going to fix my HVAC system. It won't even come close. I am extremely thankful, but we still need help," Pesek said.

She says she won't have peace until the water woes dry up.

"Years ago, they connected the storm drains to the sewer lines and, in concept, that's smart. Now, that those two are connected it's just over charging to the point where it's shooting water through our drains. Something needs to be done," Pesek said.

MSD asks if anyone in that area is having sewer issues, then please call the company's customer service line at 314-768-6260.

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