DUNMORE, Pa. — Families were cleaning up and clearing out the damage left behind on Monday from the Thanksgiving night water main break that flooded several homes on Monroe Avenue in Dunmore.
Colleen Kirby has a pile of belongings headed out to the curb after discovering several inches of water in her basement.
"We had to pull out our washer and dryer. We're not really sure about our hot water heater and our furnace," Kirby said.
Kirby, along with several other families, has been displaced for days.
"We're living in a hotel for a couple of days. We have a 17 year old who is staying at a friend's right now. This is how he had to spend his Thanksgiving vacation," she said.
Just a few houses down, Tiffany Valvano's home took on several feet of water, flooding her entire basement.
"We can't live here. We can't, obviously, use any part of our home. We have no electric, we have no water. We have no heat," said Valvano.
And, no answers. Valvano says there haven't been any changes or fixes since Newswatch 16 spoke with her on Friday. Her family has been living in a hotel ever since, and she's not sure if they ever want to return.
"The foundation, it's soggy right now. These beams are splitting, and our garage is tilted. It's just, it's not somewhere where I'm like, 'I can't wait to get back in.' Like, I don't want to come back here. It's scary," Valvano added.
It's not the first time the Valvanos have dealt with flooding, but it's by far the worst.
Kirby says these water issues aren't unique to their block. She says it's a problem across all of Lackawanna County.
"Every time you turn around, the water's dirty, cloudy, you have no water. It's not just us. Everybody is complaining, no matter where it is—Carbondale, Dickson City, Scranton," said Kirby.
Residents say services continue to get more expensive, as Pennsylvania American Water recently proposed a major rate hike.
"How can you raise our rates when your water mains are just bursting all over town?" questioned Valvano.
"My water bill is through the roof for three people that live here, through the roof," added Kirby.
Pennsylvania American Water says service was restored Saturday to all homes except for two. The company says those two homes are without water at the request of the homeowners, as repairs are being made. However, these two families say they are still without water.
The neighbors hope to get some clarity as Dunmore Borough Council is holding a special meeting Monday night.