GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Green Bay Metro Fire Department lifted the mandatory evacuation to the areas that saw major flooding.
Residents who finally got back inside their homes today told FOX 11 just how much they lost.
“A lot of personal things. Kids clothes, decorations, Christmas stuff,” said Mariel Jenquin.
Jenquin lost some things that can’t be replaced, other items are costly.
“Today we’re just going to get the furniture out, the appliances.”.
Jenquin said the whole situation was overwhelming. The Jenquin family is not alone. Neighbors all along the East River were also clearing out their homes. Doors, shelving, chairs, and bin after bin was brought outside, most of it still dripping with water.
“At first I cried,” said Mariela Sanchez.
Sanchez already had a dumpster in her driveway.
“We’re losing everything. Everything’s damaged.”
While the high waters have receded on most roads. The cleanup varies from home to home. Some people were working to remove the debris, others were still trying to get water out of their homes.
“There’s still about two feet in this basement. When we started yesterday it was about 5 feet,” said Evan Vandenelzen
Vandenelzen tells Fox 11 he’s using the equipment from his lawn care and snow removal business to help.
“I’ll be here about three more hours roughly, pumping. Then I got to talk to a couple of other people… I noticed the guy on the corner is pumping, going to see if he needs help.”
When asked why he decided to help, Vandenelzen said that even though he doesn’t live right next door, these are his neighbors.
“They’re worried. They lost a lot.”
That worry turned to frustration for Shelly Conard.
“You can smell the mold.”
She can’t start moving the items out of her mom’s home until the power’s turned back on.
We’re down there with flashlights on our phones trying to see where do we even start.
A task, for the Conard family, that will likely take weeks to complete.
