UPDATED June 10, 2009 --- 11:55 a.m.

The State Commerce Department has approved a Dane County request to use federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to assist residents in Morrisonville by upgrading and repairing the sewer system in the unincorporated community.

The total cost of the improvements is nearly $1.3 million and will help reduce the risk of significant water and sewer back-ups in basements like residents there experienced during flooding rains that fell last summer.

"These important repairs will help make sure the next time the skies open up over Morrisonville, homeowners there don't suffer the kind of hardship and destruction they experienced last year," County Executive Kathleen Falk said.

Many Morrisonville homes had waist-deep water and sewage in their basements during the height of last year's floods.

Furniture, walls, and household appliances were destroyed and mold contamination posed serious health concerns in a number of homes.

"This is just great news for Windsor's Morrisonville neighborhood," said Windsor chairperson Alan Harvey. "Windsor strongly believes that when people cooperatively work together, dynamic things can be accomplished.

Windsor thanks Dane County officials for their strong partnership in securing this badly needed financial assistance for flood-damaged Morrisonville."

Dane County will contribute $243,000 in CDBG funding to assist with the project.

The remainder of the funding needed to complete the work will be paid for by dollars from the Wisconsin Small Cities Community Development Block-Emergency Assistance public facilities program.

Those funds are used to help repair and rebuild water and sewer infrastructure damaged during the storms and flooding southern Wisconsin saw a year ago.

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"We ended up with roughly 18 inches to 2 feet of sewage water," says homeowner Robert Sanzt.

Recent severe weather has left many Wisconsin communities underwater. Now some homeowners are left to clean out their flooded homes and basements.

"There's no way that I could get it as clean and as dry in the time that they did it."

Sanzt and his daughter's Morrisonville home is now dry after once being almost waist high with water. But for them cleaning out a basement full of water was a job for the professionals.

"We came in, tore off all of the trim, baseboard, all of the drywall a foot of what was affected which is according to our standards," says A-1 Restoration project manager, Chuck Breo.

Breo has helped rebuild several homes after they were damaged by flood waters. They are one of the many companies that are being called in during this time to help homeowners with similar problems. Completely removing all flood waters from a home could cost as much as 35 hundred dollars, but is something that could be covered by insurance. No matter if you choose to do it yourself or hire an outside company, it's important to clear out flood waters immediately.

"I would also stress to any homeowners that haven't had any restoration or mitigation company come in if they do have a problem with their basement to try and get it dried out as quickly as possible."