GLENDALE, Wis. — One year after historic flooding devastated parts of the 53209 ZIP code, a Glendale homeowner is sharing how she rebuilt — and what she wishes she had known before the water came.
Darcy Hamlin had lived in her Glendale home for more than 20 years when she woke up on Aug. 10, 2025, to find her basement filled with 3 feet of water.
"It was just hard to believe. It was hard to wrap your head around, just that there was just so much water," Hamlin said.
The basement was not just storage space. It was where Hamlin practiced as a musician, where her husband worked and where the family gathered to watch movies and sports. After the flood, everything had to go — furniture, a brand-new washer and some of her husband's rare books.
"It was really just difficult to process in a lot of ways. My husband is a book collector and a rare book enthusiast and he lost probably the most out of all of us in this flood because a lot of these books are out of print. A lot of these books are irreplaceable," Hamlin said.
When it came time to rebuild, Hamlin made choices with future flooding in mind. Carpet was replaced with a cement coating. Drywall gave way to solid wood paneling. Electrical outlets were moved roughly 2 feet above the floor.
She used personal savings and a home equity line of credit to fund the renovation. Her homeowner's insurance, which covered sump pump failure and sewer backup, helped offset some of the costs — though it did not cover everything.
"We are certainly better prepared. We have no more carpet. We have no more drywall. It's all just really open space and it's very ready for the next event. Hopefully it won't happen. We're keeping really close tabs on our new sump pump, which does run like a champ when necessary, so we're happy about that," Hamlin said.
A year later, Hamlin has advice for other homeowners: reconsider what you store on the floor, choose less porous furniture in flood-prone spaces and understand exactly what your homeowner's insurance covers.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
