I-Team: Despite millions in tax dollars, suburban flood victims tread water

MAYWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- The ABC7 I-Team investigated a state program designed to help flooded suburban homeowners. But after years of pricey renovations funded by taxpayers, homeowners say there are still problems.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike's remnants flooded large parts of the Chicago area, making streets look like canals and ruining homes. But now, six years and 8 million in tax dollars later, the I-Team has uncovered homeowners still treading water, a publicly-funded renovation program out of cash, and homeowners who may be out of luck.

Yvonne Bland turned to Illinois' Ike Disaster Recovery Program and taxpayer renovations on her home alone topped $130,000- more than the house is worth. The problem is, when it rains, she says she's still getting soaked.

"When the water comes out here, so much water, right her filtering down, my finger can even go down," said Bland. "I feel as though, if it was over $50,000 to come in and restore somebody's home, why not tear this sucker down and rebuild it?"

A couple blocks away at a different disaster program home, cell phone video from just last month shows water overwhelming this outside drain and rushing into the newly-renovated basement. The taxpayer tab here is nearly $100,000.

"Water everywhere, and it went all back there, back here in the rooms, water comes through the walls," said Ernestine Hawthorn, resident.

Across town at a third home, homeowner Mary Baskin says: "Water was coming all on the floor again and under the doors."

Baskin says she still got an inch of water in her basement the last time it rained. She said some of the $126,000 in repairs actually caused new problems.

"I'm very disgusted because like I say, they left me like this with the basement looking like this," said Baskin.

"We could not guarantee sadly that these homes would never flood again," said Dave Roeder, IL DCEO.

State officials say inspectors reviewed all work and contend the homes are located in floodprone areas. They say the program is over and they've helped as much as they can.

"There was a lot of good work done in this, a lot of money was spent, but as you know when you get into an old house and you start tearing things up, you find a lot of other problems that you have to deal with and would just never anticipate," said Roeder.

At yet another Maywood home, nearly $100,000 in tax-paid repairs and water still comes in through the basement walls.

"I've been going through holy Hell because the company promised one thing and they don't deliver," said Pinkie Coleman, homeowner.

"Everybody's frustrated if you don't have a brand new house, we're doing the best that we can with what we have to work with," said Steve Mataro, DSW Homes.

The Texas contractor in charge of all of these homes says he flew in this week to check on things. He says all required work was done and now they are going beyond program requirements to try to please homeowners.

"They were never meant to be waterproof or water tight, they're trying to close and fix as best you can, but the problem is you're dealing with weather and age and you're just trying to fix them as best you can," said Mataro.

"I feel as though the program of the Disaster Recovery program has let me down. This program was supposed to be about water, and if the program is about water, I hoped that they could resolve water issues," said Bland.

According to DSW's website, the company did work on 59 Chicago area homes and was paid $4 million by the state, and their work is covered by one-year warrantees. DSW says only five homes have outstanding warranty issues. As for that cell phone video of overwhelmed drains at one of the Maywood homes, the company president tells the I-Team he's contracted a plumber to unclog their drain.