The Brief
Johns Disposal will collect flood-damaged items from Allerton residents on Wednesday.
Citywide cleanup in Greenfield could take weeks.
Dumpsters will be placed in heavily impacted neighborhoods.
GREENFIELD, Wis. - Greenfield residents continue to clean up after historic flooding led to sewage backups on some streets, damaging homes and personal belongings.
What we know
Near 92nd and Allerton, Nicole Cheske said 40 years of family memories are now in piles outside her home.
"We had family photos. My grandpa’s accordion was downstairs — that was the last piece of something that I had from him that I’m going to try to salvage," she said.
Cheske shared photos of a refrigerator floating in her basement early Sunday morning and said she’s frustrated with the process for having damaged goods removed.
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"We had family photos. My grandpa’s accordion was downstairs, that was the last piece of something that I had from him that I'm going to try to salvage," Cheske said. "It’s literally our entire life right here [...] Everyone will tell you it's just stuff.. we're all alive, nothing happened to us, but those are things you hold dear in your heart."
She’s not alone.
Cheske said she called Johns Disposal, the city’s contracted waste company, to schedule a pickup, but was told crews were using small trucks with limited pickup times. She said she was told a second pickup would cost $95.
As people wait for the items to be removed, the city is asking for patience.
Mayor Michael Neitzke said residents with Johns Disposal garbage cans should have their flood-damaged items picked up free of charge. Neitzke said the city plans to have Johns Disposal in the Allerton Avenue area on Wednesday morning to collect the damaged items.
Dig deeper
The mayor said Johns Disposal will be in the neighborhood on Wednesday morning and that citywide cleanup could take weeks. He said dumpsters will be placed in some of the hardest-hit areas.
"You're a residential owner or townhouse occupant with Johns Disposal garbage can that stuff will be picked up free of charge," the mayor said.
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Neitzke said cleanup across the city could take several weeks. Dumpsters will be placed in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods to help residents dispose of debris more quickly.
""They have enough to worry about right now," Nick Baumann said. "They don’t need to worry about refuse in their front yard."
"We had family photos. My grandpa’s accordion was downstairs, that was the last piece of something that I had from him that I'm going to try to salvage," Cheske said. "It’s literally our entire life right here."
The Source
The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
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