Raw sewage flooded a Brooklyn neighborhood after a blockage sent waste water into 20 homes.
Brooklyn homeowners were dealt a wet and damaging blow when raw sewage flooded into their Canarsie basements over the weekend.
City officials say some 20 homes were damaged after water flooded inside from a blocked drain. Crews were able to fix the blockage - but homeowners were left to clean up the damage left behind.
Trevon Hamlet was one of the many Canarsie homeowners who had to wade through waste water to find personal belongings and sentimental keepsakes damaged by the flooding. Hamlet says the damage was widespread.
"Furniture, I had a few articles from high school, yearbooks, my college diploma, a lot of things... my fridge. It's all gone, destroyed," Hamlet said.
The City's Department of Environmental Protection says they were able to clear the blockage overnight with the help of specialized equipment after initial attempts with high pressure water proved unsuccessful. They say the cause was litter and debris that may have been washed into the system during Tropical Storm Fay.
DEP crews were going door-to-door Sunday morning to help homeowners filed a claim with the city.
