CAHOKIA, Ill. — Flash flooding has created a big headache for residents in Cahokia.
many of them left with flooded basements and destroyed streets.
"When it rains, it just floods that's all."
in Cahokia, residents say it's not that simple
as not just rainwater, but sewage water fills their basements.
"The sewers have been so backed up they haven't been flushed, so everything is just flowing down to our house and coming in."
Lauren Rodgers Schroeder and her mom live along Donald street in Cahokia.
In one month their basement has flooded – at least 3 times.
"Its terrible basically for the whole month of June we've been without hot water and A/C, my mom has a number of health issues so just her breathing has been affected by that and basically knowing that you're living in a house with sewage in the basement."
A large part of the problem can be seen here.
"There's huge cave-ins down there, there's pipes and pumps running from different manholes. Its been an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed that needs to be fixed."
She says the worst part about it, her calls to Cahokia leaders fell on deaf ears.
"But basically the information I'm getting back is from the EPA and they're saying that the city is saying it's our fault, that its an act of god and were responsible for the cleanup," said Schroeder. "So I said God is punishing the same 7 families here you know that doesn't make sense when the streets are messed up god doesn't cause that."
Schroeder says her family has been forced to stay in hotels and have no idea what's next.
"it's very sad to think that we have to leave somewhere that's been our home but that's what we're going to have to do if we can't live here."
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