Carol Stream residents still flooded, angry

Residents in a Carol Stream neighborhood have been through this drill before. Heavy storms roll in. A nearby creek overflows and floods homes, causing thousands of dollars in damage. And the village, they say, does nothing.

"Every time it rains I get nervous, and that's no way to live," said Jim Farmer, of 432 Hiawatha Drive. "Every time (the area floods), the village lies to me. They keep saying they are going to do something about it."

On Monday, two days after severe storms battered DuPage County, nearly 50 homes on Hiawatha and Illini drives, as well as Silverleaf Boulevard, Arapahoe Trail and Iowa Court, remain underwater.

The situation is similar to that of September 2008, when the area flooded and displaced many of the same people. After that storm, village officials told residents a study on the area would be done within eight to 10 months.

It is still not done, and the village blames DuPage County for the delay. The county, meanwhile, says it was a misunderstanding caused by the budget cycle. The eight- to 10-month time frame represents the study's length, and it had to be pushed back to the following fiscal year.

County spokesman Jason Gerwig said the results of the $79,000 study are expected next month, and a report will be presented to the stormwater committee in September.

That is too late for Farmer, who nonetheless says village trustees and Village President Frank Saverino are to blame.

"I am just truly disgusted by it," he said. "Before we do anything, let's get someone in there who truly cares."

Saverino said the major issue stems from the location of the village in a major flood plain that will continue to see flooding in the future.

Even if the study comes back soon, he said figuring out a way to alleviate the problems will be difficult, especially with most government bodies that could help dealing with financial troubles.

"When they finish it, what happens then?" he said. "Who's got money to fix anything? We don't have any money.

"Right now, we don't have a way to make this stop," he said. "It will flood again the next time there is a heavy rain. We're spending a lot of money to do this study, so hopefully we can find out what to do."

At about noon Monday, social service workers with the police department set up a station at Jay Stream Middle School. Workers and volunteers at the site interviewed residents and passed out water and food.

Nearby residents said it was a nice gesture but were not sure how sincere it was because it came so late.

"They are putting up the front that, 'We care,'" said Rich Borkowski, of 456 Hiawatha Drive. "We just want answers. We have not heard any answers."

He and his wife, Sarah, were stranded in their home Saturday and could not call police because their phone system is based in a crawl space at the bottom of the home.

"We couldn't leave our home," he said. "Nobody warned us. We had no phone calls, and nothing was done until after the fact, just like the last time when the mayor came out and did nothing until it was too late."

Saverino said he stands behind the performance of the village's public works and police departments. The command center will be out there until people no longer need it, he said.

With several events happening throughout town on Sunday, Saverino said the notion that officials don't care about the residents' plight is inaccurate.

"We are doing what we think is the right thing to do," he said. "Some people thought we should have shut the whole town down, but in some parts of town, it was like another world."

As he arrived Monday morning to volunteer his help, Trustee Rick Gieser said he understands the residents' concerns and frustrations. As an 8-year-old, he lived along Thunderbird Trail when heavy flooding hit the area in 1972.

He said village officials have been on the county to try to speed up the study. But ultimately, he said, he is not sure how much help the study will provide and that the fact the village is in a flood plain will be an obstacle.

"Will they be able to implement the recommendations immediately?" he said. "For all of their forward thinking, the designers of the village screwed up in building in an area that is lower than the water."

On Illini Drive, John Vent spent much of Monday morning trudging through knee-deep water, carrying his family's possessions to his father's waiting car.

Vent said he awoke Saturday to see water approaching his front door and that by 6 a.m. it was already about two-thirds of the way up his yard.

Vent, who lives at 396 Illini Drive, said he, his wife and two children will split time between his parents' home in Addison and his in-laws' Lisle home until the cleanup is complete. In 2008, he said, that was about three months.

Vent said he was frustrated at the situation and wished more help was available. But he tried his best to keep in good spirits.

"You can't add any tears to the water we have already got," he said. "You can't go around moping about it. The quicker we can get back in, the better."

Anyone interested in volunteering to help displaced residents are asked to call social services at (630) 871-6280.

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