9-13-05 - A Sherman family is living in conditions that sound more like New Orleans than Texoma. Raw Sewage is standing both inside and outside their home, and neighbors and city officials call it a health hazard.

Neighbors tell KXII that they can't live with the smell or the mosquitoes anymore. The family of seven who lives in the house says they can't afford to fix it, and they have no where else to go.

When Alfred Evans bought this home a year ago, he says the previous owner promised to fix the broken sewer line but never did.

Three months ago Evans dug this trench along the side of his house hoping the sewage would run into the city sewer line. It didn't.

The raw sewage is backing up so badly it is underneath their home and is seeping up through their carpet.

Inside there is mold and critters everywhere. These are living conditions most people couldn't imagine.

"My whole family is sick," Evans said. "My wife is sick, but she still went to work. I had to pick my son up from school yesterday."

The city inspector says the living conditions are obviously unsafe and they will cut off the water Thursday. That means the Evans family is going to have to find somewhere else to live.

According to the city inspector, the current homeowner is the one responsible for fixing the problem.