Even though the high waters are starting to recede, recent flooding in Sunflower County and more specifically Moorhead, has left homeowners Gloria and Arthur Easley dealing with what she calls “just a mess.”
The Easleys said water from the recent floods crept into their bedroom.
Easley and her husband are upset because in addition to the floodwaters that infiltrated their home, apparently some of the city’s sewage backed up into their Ingram Street residence as well.
And according to them, neither the city nor the county has adequately addressed their appeals for help.
The Easleys said they have talked to Mayor George Holland and District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald.
“They came out and looked at it,” Gloria Easley said.
“They were suppose to been brought us some sandbags back and we ain't seen sandbags yet,” Arthur Easley added.
He maintains that he requested sandbags on February 12 when Donald was out observing work crews in the neighborhood, but they never came. Arthur Easley said Donald told him, “Easley, we’re going to bring you some sandbags. We just run out.”
He said county workers came out with county equipment and brought sandbags to their neighbor, who he claims is a relative of Donald, but never brought any to them.
He stated that he also showed Donald the constant flow from the sewer line on the back of his house but, according to him, when Donald looked at the situation he said it was the Easley’s fault.
“For the sewer to be backing up in our house, how it’s backing up, that can’t be our fault? This is not our fault,” Arthur said.
The Easleys said Mayor Holland told them that they were not the only ones dealing with that issue.
Gloria Easley said, “The mayor told him (Donald) it’s a lot of people’s houses like that in this town.”
In a telephone conversation with Holland, he said the town’s ailing pumping system was the culprit.
He said two of their pumps burned up during the recent flood.
“We’ve had a lot of problems with those pumps. We go in, tear them apart, clean them out and yet somehow the rags get back in the propellers and stop them up again and we go back in. We’re having some serious issues,” Holland said.
But, according to the mayor, help is on the way.
Holland said money is available that will be used to rebuild the pumps and even though he has set an August completion date, he is hopeful the work is completed by July.
“So, it’s not like it’s going unnoticed or uncared for. We’ve got it under control. It’s just a matter of time,” Holland said.
In the meantime, crews were already at work in Moorhead on Tuesday in an effort to bring a temporary, immediate fix to the problem they are having with sewer back ups. He said their long-term goal is to rebuild all of the pumps, but the money they currently have will take care of only three of the pumps that have been giving them problems.
Arthur Easley said during the recent high waters there was a constant deluge through his drain.
“First it backed up into our house, in our toilet, in our sink, in our tub and when we come outside this is what we see,” he said, pointing to the pipe that was originally designed to take sewage out of their home.
He explained, “When the town floods and the water ain’t got no where to go, all of the water backs up into the top of the manholes. That’s why they’ve got to use the pumps to pump the water down off top of it.”
He asserted that the flooding hampers the regular operation of the plumbing fixtures because the waters fill the manholes and that keeps the sewage from flowing freely, which prevents his toilets from flushing properly and other plumbing from draining properly.
The Easleys said “everybody’s” sewage was coming into their home, which is why they took the cap off of the clean out plug to expel the waste into the backyard.
Although he doesn’t condone it, Holland said he understands why the Easleys and others in the small town had done the same thing; but that doesn’t help the situation. “With so many cleanouts open, rain water gets into the sewer line that lets more water into the sewer lines and that causes more problems,” he said.
Holland said many of the older homes across the town are below street level, which increases the potential for flooding.
"So, it's not just a certain part of Moorhead, it's kind of all over."
He said the new pumps should completely solve the town's problem.
With regard to the flooding, Holland added that contrary to popular belief, there are not enough workers to fill and bring sandbags around to all of the homes that may need it, which is why he encourages people to volunteer during flooding incidents. "If they would work with us, so many times we can get them sandbags."
Donald could not be reached by press time.
