TOWN OF CEDARBURG, Wis. — A Cedarburg family is still trying to recover after floodwaters inundated their home near Covered Bridge Park in Ozaukee County.
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A week after the floods covered their entire yard and home with feet of water, the Ortiz family still has to enter their home by walking across sandbags. Joey and Erin are now working to clean up the damage as they wait for insurance to weigh in.
For Erin Ortiz, the experience of watching the water rise was traumatic. The overnight rush to save their belongings became increasingly desperate as the waters rose.
"It turned into the worst case of real-life Tetris," Erin said. "Two feet are gone. Three feet. You're getting tired. It's harder to move. It's harder to grab things. Three feet is gone. What are you going to save?"
The Ortiz family home was one of the hardest-hit properties in the area, with water rising several feet inside their residence. The flooding destroyed irreplaceable items, including manuals, gear and other mementos from Joey's military service.
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"Everything that you see floating around you, it makes you want to cry," Erin said. "But you can't because then you aren't going to be able to save anything else."
Watch: Cedarburg family struggles to recover after devastating floods
"A lot of memories from when I served overseas and my tenure in there," Joey said.
The Ortiz family has flood insurance but will likely still have to pay out of pocket for many of their losses to their property. They've already raised nearly $3,000 on GoFundMe.
"The hardships aren't a number in FEMA. It's not a number of damages in the governor's office. It's people. It's lives, and that's been disrupted. Showcasing the good, which gives people hope," she said.
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.
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