Melrose Sewage Disaster: More Questions Than Answers

MELROSE, MA — There are still more questions than answers after a sewage blockage filled four Melrose homes with foulness, but displaced residents are less in the dark this weekend than they were in the immediate aftermath of Thursday morning's sewage blowout.

The City of Melrose late Friday night confirmed it will pay for "emergency expenses associated with temporary lodging and will also pay expenses connected to storage containers placed on these properties." The announcement came after the City took a beating in the press and from residents for a slow response to the sewage disaster some 36 hours earlier.

The City still has not confirmed homeowners and renters from the affected properties will be reimbursed for all the mounting expenses — which could end up being hundreds of thousands of dollars — but that's in part because the cause and liability are still being investigated before various insurance companies get involved, city officials told Patch.

The Department of Public Works initially told some residents their attempt to fix the blockage caused the blowout, one resident said. The City would not confirm who was at fault.

In the meantime, Ward 5 Alderman Shawn MacMaster has been at the forefront of the neighborhood response. MacMaster, who lives just a few homes away on Brazil Street, has met with and helped those affected since Thursday, residents told Patch. On Saturday, MacMaster thanked local businesses that stepped up to help.

MacMaster said anyone who wises to assist can donate to the Melrose Emergency Fund. MacMaster also issued a public safety advisory Saturday night, advising people to be careful about others soliciting donations.