"No help:" After historic July flooding, Burlington family in massive debt after losing $70K

BURLINGTON -- After historic flooding in July, a Burlington couple said Sunday, August 27th their home may now be dry, but they remain in over their heads big time, and they've received little to no help.

According to the Burlington Fire Department, the Cassidy family lives in one of the top three worst-hit homes in Burlington. The top two properties were condemned, and sadly the Cassidy family didn't have flood insurance.

The family on Sunday shared snapshots of their nightmare. During the severe flooding in July, the Fox River ended up rising well above flood stage, cresting at a record 16.1 feet on July 13th.

Richard Cassidy said as the water rose, he quickly realized he'd soon be in over his head.

"I made a promise to my wife that I'd get her back home when this was all over," Cassidy said.

Cassidy estimated he lost $70,000 worth of personal items inside his home.

"We haven't gotten to this yet. It's still just -- damage, damage, gotta be repaired," Cassidy said.

He said he's roughly $30,000 in debt. His basement filled up with water like a pool. It took two weeks to get all the water out. Cassidy said the only help he received was from the American Red Cross. He got a $250 gift card to help buy cleaning products and food.

FEMA denied the region federal dollars, and Cassidy said SBA disaster loans won't help either because he's already fixed many of the problems on his own.

"You learn who your friends are. You definitely learn. Because they disappear like a fart in the wind," Cassidy said.

Now forced to sell his two motorcycles, Cassidy said he worries what the future will bring.

"There's no other help," Cassidy said. "We kayak up and down the river. We fish. We enjoy it. There's a lot of people that should know what happened here to a lot of good people."

Cassidy said the river reached his deck during a 2013 flooding event, but even after that, he still never considered flood insurance. He said some of his neighbors still haven't been able to return to their homes.