Looks can be deceiving: As FEMA visits Waukesha County, much of the worst damage is out of sight

CBS 58

BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- George Wessel has a few contractors to call. Along the walls of his basement is a little more than a foot of drywall cut out at the bottom. The carpeting has been removed from the entire level, and the bathroom will need a large-scale restoration.

The most significant losses, though, are impossible to accurately assess. Wessel, 86, pointed to the mementos and photos from trips he'd taken over the years with his wife, Marlis.

"Having lived in this house for 35 years, did a lot of traveling with my wife, taking a lot of pictures that meant a lot to us over the years," he said.

Marlis died in February, not long after the couple's 60th anniversary. Wessel smiled when he looked down at one treasured photo still intact; it was of Marlis shortly after the c