‘Our lives are gone’ after flooding

SAGEVILLE - Residents of Valley Hill Court Trailer Park say they're desperate for help after record rainfall sent floodwaters rushing through the neighborhood Thursday.

In the community just north of Dubuque in Sageville, 17 mobile homes are a loss - having taken on up to 6 feet of water - and 34 homes have water damage. The residents say it's a disaster that's going unnoticed.

“I hate to say it, but just because we live in trailers, we're not trailer trash,” said Lisa Jones, who has lived there for just under a year with her husband and three children. “We have lives, and now they're gone.”

Jones and her neighbors said they've received little help from Dubuque County or the cities of Dubuque or Sageville. A Salvation Army van pulled up for the first time on Sunday, offering bottles of water.

“Everyone in Dubuque seems to be worried about the six inches of water in their basement,” Jones said. “I feel for them, but our lives are gone.”

The residences nearest to Heritage Pond behind the community were hit the hardest. In the water-damaged homes, mold is quickly spreading up walls and the carpets are soaked with dirty brown water.

June Cupps has lived in the park for several years. She said her daughter and her son's girlfriend got in a small paddle boat and rescued people from their homes even before the Sheriff's Office arrived on scene.

“There were people swimming out here collecting pets, putting them in barrels. It was the worst thing I've ever seen,” Cupps said.

Some neighbors said they have places to go while they wait to find out if they'll get federal, state or local aid.

Janet Brown said she'll stay with her son in Epworth, but she worries she might never come back to her home.

“It's kinda hard, too, when you've lived here all your life,” she said. “I ain't got nothing to come back to. It's hard.”