• FLOODS of '08 VIDEO
The Floods of ’08 left a mess, one that continues to grow.
CBS 2 has taken you into an ungutted home on 5th Street North West multiple times. Inside is a couch re-upholstered in mold among other rotting items. But tonight we learn that was never the owners intention.
"I had no ambition to spend weeks tearing out raw sewage infested stuff for nothing. I mean we are not going to save the house. We are not going to try and save the house. We are not going to live in the house," says the owner of the home, Mark Alan Stilwell.
The inside of this home smells awful. The air is thick making it hard to breathe. Mold grows inside the walls, on the couch and on top of food never cleaned out of the kitchen.
"Whatever we could recover from the home we took out but other than that we left it."
Stilwell says the plan was always to have the house torn down. He says his insurance is going to cover it but there has been a delay.
"People are just backed up with that line of work and I've made a few phone calls for estimates for demolition and they just didn't have the time."
Stilwell was finally able to set up a time for a contractor to come out to his home and give him an estimate. He says most likely his home will be torn down soon.
And it is not just Stilwell who walked away from his flood home. For many flood victims it was their only option. If you are concerned about an ungutted home you can report the address to the Linn County Health Department. They can be reached at 310.892.6000.CBS 2 Talks to an Owner of an Ungutted Home
