Jackson Co. mother's home flooded by raw sewage

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Lisa Holland spent Friday trying to figure out what could be salvaged, but she said with about... — Lisa Holland spent Friday trying to figure out what could be salvaged, but she said with about three inches of sewage in the house, the carpet, walls, and particle board floors will all have to go.

LATIMER, MS (WLOX) - A Jackson County mother of two is wondering how she'll ever make her home livable again after it was flooded with several inches of raw sewage. Lisa Holland said after she reported the problem, utility workers fixed the pipe, but by then the damage had been done. She said figuring out who will pay for this may turn into an even bigger mess.

The smell hit Holland Thursday night before she even opened the door. Then she walked into her Latimer mobile home.

"It knocked me out," said Holland. "There was waterfall sound, and I realized when I looked toward my bedroom that the sewer had exploded."

Holland spent Friday trying to figure out what could be salvaged, but she said with about three inches of sewage in the house, the carpet, walls, and particle board floors will all have to go.

"It saturated everything. It got my clothes," Holland said. "It got to my kitchen where my food cabinets have soaked up the sewage. There is just pile of feces everywhere in there right now."

WLOX News asked the West Jackson County Utility District about the cleanup. Officials said matter has been turned over to the district's insurance company which will decide if the district is liable for the cleanup.

"Even though I pay that bill and their mechanical stuff failed and their sewer flooded my house, it's almost like we have to wait to see if the insurance is willing to do anything," said Holland.

Holland said she and her fiance own the house, but don't have homeowner's insurance. They have two sons, ages four and six. She said the family can't afford to make all the repairs and replace their belongings.

"We live paycheck to paycheck, and we have bills," Holland said. "Now that this flood has contaminated our whole trailer, basically, I don't know what we're going to do."

For now, they're relying on other family members for a place to stay. Holland said since she isn't sure how long it will take for the utility district's insurance company to make a decision. She worries about mold and other growth developing in the meantime.