Melting snow, rain pooling in backyards

MANITOWOC - All this precipitation has to go somewhere. Often that's into people's homes.

Snowmelt pooling in backyards and seeping into basements is something we usually see in April, not January.

And with freezing temperatures expected to return, time is of the essence to get the water cleaned up.

"This morning we came down and noticed big puddles, streaming down the stairway,” said Amanda Koll of Manitowoc.

Not exactly the way Amanda Koll and her husband wanted to spend their day.

"We've emptied our closet down here. There was some water coming in through the closet over here,” she said.

Sopping up water flooding their Manitowoc home's basement.

"This is probably the fourth set of towels we've used,” Koll said.

Out in the backyard is the source of the problem, water pooling close to the foundation with nowhere to go. The ground frozen.

Chris Walters lives just west of Koll.

"I'm kind of hoping that with all this water, it breaks up the first layer of ice,” said Chris Walters.

Waiting for a friend to come by with a water pump...

"It's that deep right there,” Walters said.

Walters doesn't have a basement.

But is concerned the water will affect his house's footings.

"Can't wait that long. Because if it freezes, the weather's going to be changing, it's going to get colder again,” said Walters.

Until then, Walters is already planning to fix the problem for the future.

"But the whole thing is going to have to get filled in,” he said.

Back at the Koll's house, Mike Shimek's trying to figure out what if anything can be done to try and stop the water from streaming in.

He says, even though it's the middle of winter, there are things you can do to prevent similar problems.

"You got to watch your downspouts and your gutters. Make sure they're clean and make sure that they're in good shape,” said Mike Shimek with Shimek Home Improvement.

Koll says this is the second time her house has flooded and she doesn't have a sump pump.

"Costs quite a bit of money to put one in. So we haven't done that yet,” said Koll.

“Think that might be (something that will be invested in)?" asked FOX 11’s Bill Miston.

"In the future, absolutely,” Koll replied.

Shimek says if you do have water in your home it's especially important to get it cleaned up quickly.

That includes drying the area out as mold and mildew can grow quickly.