WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Pictures. Clothing. Furniture. Holiday decor. Mattresses.

Those are just some of the items that Wauwatosa families lost after devastating floods tore through parts of southeast Wisconsin.

Some of the homes hit hardest sit along the Menomonee River Parkway.

On Thursday, Aug. 14, many homeowners sat outside in their yards, surrounded by growing piles of memories turned to rubbish.

"It's very emotional. It's very crazy. It's very devastating. Those are the words," said Karly Truss. "The more you see, the more it hits you."

She, her husband Eric and their four-year-old son have lived along the parkway for the last four years.

"Shock first, then crisis mode," Truss said. "Piles get bigger and bigger and bigger and you start to really realize everything you've lost."

Her neighbors' homes mirror her own yard -- some with piles more than five feet tall.

"It's very sad," Truss said. "This is unimaginable."

Their home's basement was fully wiped out.

"Obviously, we're in a bad spot," said Eric Truss. "We had a company out here that demoed everything and took ceiling, walls, appliances out, so it's barebones in the basement."

Now, they're waiting on assessments for their furnace, water heater and electricity.

"At this point, we're just waiting for those three items to try to make the home livable at this point," Truss said.