MUSKEGON, Mich. — At least a dozen homes in Muskegon are flooded with water. The recurring issue started years ago on Edgewater Street, but homeowners say they've already seen higher water this year than in years past.
The area backs into Muskegon Lake, which is a direct connection to Lake Michigan.
"Living on a lake, you deal with [floods], usually every spring, but it doesn't last through the wintertime," said Todd Rebone. "Typically I would run a pump, probably the last four years, we've had to run the pump up until November, but then we'd shut it off this last year, we had to run it all year round, even through the wintertime."
Rebone says his crawl space has been filled with around 2 feet of water - a direct result of this week's rain, high lake levels, and other factors such as wind.
"I would say we probably had, oh boy, a good 18 to 24 inches or more in the lower level because then the next problem is the mold, you know, you start worrying about that when water has been there for so long."
The water has also submerged his furnace, making it unusable until the crawl space dries up. A repairman will also have to come out and fix it.
"When that happens, you know it's it's two years old so that that makes it really tough, but we had the same problem last year. This year is just worse."
In the past, many residents say they have filed claims with flood insurance but have been denied coverage due to fine print or other conditions in their plans.
"It's very frustrating on that front," said Rebone. "That's one of the things that it's a very expensive policy that we're actually forced to have."
Residents say they would like to work with the city to find a solution in the future, to mitigate any other water damage done to their homes.
