St. Louis area residents struggle for answers more than a week after massive rains cause flooding

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - More than a week after heavy rains dumped inches of rain across the St. Louis area, many residents are still struggling to clean up, file claims and even get back into their homes.

“I just feel like I’m fighting to get my life back together,” said Jeff Demazin, who lives in Mehlville in South St. Louis County.

On Mother’s Day, his neighborhood got nearly four inches of rain, along with neighboring parts of South St. Louis City.

“I’m just frustrated. It’s hard enough going through the flood,” said Sam McGill, who lives in Boulevard Heights in South City.

Demazin and McGill are still dealing with headaches caused by the flooding.

McGill has been without power for 10 days. He says after days of back and forth with Ameren, he learned he needed an inspection from the city after his basement took in feet of water due to a clogged storm drain in their backyard.

“I understand requiring it. That makes sense. But why is no one telling me to do this,” said McGill.

Ameren says it’s standard procedure to need an inspection from your local government following any electrical repair work after a flood before power can be restored. A spokesperson says their staff tries to communicate that. After News4 made calls, a city inspector was able to go out and do the inspection, and Ameren is now working to restore power.

McGill’s flooding was “overland flooding,” which means it came from outside the house, and according to MSD, they are not responsible.

At the Damazin’s home, they received a notice from MSD that their flooding was caused by “overland flooding,” but video shows the water coming up from the drains in the basement. They had to rip out their carpet and drywall and will have to spend thousands to repair it.

MSD says if flooding is caused by overcharged lines, meaning a sewer backup due to pipes reaching capacity, homeowners could be eligible for around $2900. MSD says an engineer can come out to inspect the situation.

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