Carol Stream residents angry over flooding woes

Carol Stream officials were working feverishly Wednesday to combat rising water levels after nearly 100 residents spent about four hours Monday blasting the village for being slow to react to previous flooding.

While some residents offered ideas about using rain barrels or volunteered their engineering expertise, others scolded Carol Stream leaders for what they said was poor handling of flooding that damaged about 50 homes after storms the weekend of July 23.

After several hours of taking complaints, Village President Frank Saverino stormed out of the meeting - leaving Trustee Pam Fenner in charge - until returning about 10 minutes later.

"It was the most disturbing meeting I've ever been to in my life because it was so volatile," said 31-year Carol Stream resident Suzanne Hlotke, who regularly attends village meetings.

Dozens of homes on Hiawatha and Illini drives, as well as Silverleaf Boulevard, Arapahoe Trail and Iowa Court, were affected by recent floods.

And after more rain fell Wednesday, residents, volunteers and village officials - including Saverino - were out filling sandbags as flood waters once again threatened the same neighborhood.

"We're just trying to get better prepared this time," Saverino said. "We're trying to get ready for round two."

Residents had criticized the village for being slow to react to flooding that began after torrential rains started falling on July 23. It wasn't until three days later that 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.

Saverino said the area was so flooded that city work crews could not get equipment in to assess the damage.

On Wednesday, Saverino was back on village streets with officials such as DuPage County Board members Jim Zay and Dirk Enger, nonprofit groups like the Humanitarian Service Project, resident volunteers and area fire departments trying to prevent more flooding.

The group was filling thousands of sandbags in an area that still has water from the July floods, evacuating people from their homes and handing out food and water at St. Luke Catholic Church.

"I got the message from Monday's meeting," Saverino said. "Last time I didn't take charge, I took the blame. Now I'm taking charge. I was out there this morning driving through the streets and blowing my horn to make sure people moved their cars before water came in. We don't abandon people in Carol Stream and I don't want these people to feel like they're alone."

Earlier this week, Saverino was among eight DuPage County mayors who met with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin to push for federal flood aid. Although DuPage County was declared a state disaster area, Saverino said the village needs President Obama to declare it a federal disaster area so residents can get assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

After experiencing severe flooding last month and in September 2008, Saverino said parts of Carol Stream will continue flooding because they are situated in a flood plain. Long-term answers, he said, must come from a study being conducted by DuPage County officials.

Carol Stream residents were told in 2008 the study would be done within eight to 10 months. But it is still incomplete and county officials said that's because of 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 county's stormwater committee in September.

• Daily Herald photographer Bev Horne contributed to this report.