Officials urge Southwest Side residents to report flood damage in hopes of financial relief

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Residents on Chicago's Southwest Side are concerned about repeat flooding, and they're demanding action.

Streets and homes were flooded several times this summer, and homeowners want relief.

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Southwest Side resident Fernando Rivera doesn't known if his water heater will work. It and the rest of basement was flooded with sewer water after weekend storms.

"Something should be done," Rivera said. "We spend a lot of money we are taxpayers we are not asking for a brand now system we just want something to help."

Rivera is among those who filled out a survey about flood damage.

On Wednesday, local officials urged anyone with damage to fill out the survey and to make a case for the federal government to allow financial relief to resident through a disaster declaration.

"That's why a disaster declaration is so important," U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García said. "It makes sure that the resources for the families most impacted because people's health is impacted as long as mold remains in the basement people are at health risk."

"We are in a situation where we might not get FEMA dollars it is important that the state of Illinois being a leader steps and provides that investment," Illinois Rep. Aarón Ortíz said.

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"Two or three weeks ago, I throw a lot of stuff in the garbage this Saturday again," resident Artemio Cruz said.

"The numbers are clear. Six communities on the Southwest Side have more the 60% of all the flood reports in the city of Chicago," 14th Ward Ald. Jeylu Gutierrez said.

Tuesday, city officials blamed the recent flooding global warming with unusual localized heavy rain on the Southwest Side and a system that is in need of repair and upgrades.

On Wednesday, the city's water department said of the 4,500 miles of sewer, 17% has been replaced or relined, and of the rehabbed sewer, 2% was on the Southwest Side.

"Our system needs to be renewed some communities that had their sewers changed recently didn't flood so that's the equity we need to have across the city and across the Southwest Side," Ald. Gutierrez said.

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For flood victims, long-term solutions to flooding may seem too far away.

"Right now, I'm running blowers I hit three blowers running in the house, and I tell people don't let it sit there, it's going to cause more damage," resident Alfredo Nieves said.

A Chicago Lawn resident said he used to do mold remediation. He urges neighbors to do what they can now to sanitize and dry damp areas to prevent the mold from starting.

Nieves shared video of Saturday, when he said they had 16 inches of sewer water. In July, he says they had 8 inches.

"Hopefully it doesn't keep on raining or the water coming up in any kind of way," Nieves said.

The city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications is urging people who have been impacted by recent flooding to fill out a damage assessment survey by 5 p.m. Friday.

The survey does not collect any information about citizenship. City officials say this will give them a better idea of the scope of damage, and plan ahead for extreme weather events.