JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It has been nine months since it happened and Dr. Richard Dibella is ready to move back into his Orange park home, but the restoration is incomplete.
"This is a nightmare," said Dibella, "and it is not my fault."
The retired Navy Captain is still in disbelief; what happened Sunday morning in April 2014 seems like yesterday.
"I heard a loud boom got up to see that sewage was spewing into the house in the shower area about two or three feet in the air," he said.
Yes, raw sewage -- and it quickly covered every room in his home. The source of the problem was the city-owned sewer system.
"It turned out that a sewer valve from the Clay County utility had failed," he said.
He says his life has not been the same since. He has had to struggle with who is going to pay and when will the restoration be completed.
"it was surreal you don't expect to have all this coming into your house and disrupting your life immediately," he said.
The water damage restoration company hired to clean up the mess told him his home sustained a category 3 damage, an industry rating, which means it was grossly unsanitary.
Dibella said it also mean that at that point he lost control of his home and its contents.
"I said I don't understand why I can't have control and was told once black water touches any of your possessions it can be potentially destroyed," he said.
The was going to pay for the damage but in June refused citing a law that says if it was not aware of the problem before it happens it is not liable.
Dibella's homeowner insurance company is helping. And the restoration has been slow at best, the contractor said there are at least two more weeks of work.
He said the lessons learned are: check your insurance coverage now before there is a problem; don't sign any contracts without consulting your attorney; and always make sure that your contracts have a completion date.
"If you ever have a disaster and you're feeling overwhelmed it is not the time to sign contracts," he said.
It is a nightmare Dibella said he would not wish on anyone.
