Facing more storms, some West Side homeowners still waiting for repairs from 2023 floods

As another round of heavy rain and possible flooding moves through the Chicago area on Wednesday, some homeowners on the West Side said they're still waiting for help from the city nearly three years after historic flooding damaged their homes.

The city said it's set to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for flood recovery and infrastructure projects, and West Side homeowners say that help can't come soon enough.

Flooding is top of mind for a lot of people on the city's South and West sides as storms return to Chicago.

In the South Austin neighborhood on the West Side, some residents are still dealing with damage from historic rainfall in 2023.

As storms move back into the Chicago area, by midday, water starts filling up Garfield Park, and nearby homeowners say every weather alert brings back bad memories.

Lillie Simmons, who lives in South Austin, said every time it rains, her basement floods, and every rain drop brings back a tough reminder.

"I've been here for 31 years, and 2023 was the first time I have ever gotten any water in the basement," she said.

In July and August of 2023, record rainfall overwhelmed aging sewer systems across parts of the West Side, sending water rushing into basements and destroying property.

Simmons said it still feels like a rainforest in her basement, after two feet of water rushed in three years ago.

The Chicago area is under a Flood Watch until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, with scattered storms mostly south of the city. While there was some heavy rain in the city earlier in the day, the West Side didn't see anything like what happened in 2023.

Still, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has issued an Overflow Action Day alert on Wednesday, asking people to limit water usage and reduce the strain on local sewers.

"We want everybody to do their part to conserve water. The less they use today, the less they put into the system, the more capacity there is for us to ride out the storm," said director of maintenance and operations Ed Staudacher.

Most of the Chicago area uses a combined sewer system, where stormwater and household wastewater drain into the same pipes. When too much water enters sewers too quickly, sewers can back up into streets and basements.

"We do have an old system that's a combined sewer system, so it all goes into one pipe, so anything the public can do to help out helps us out," Staudacher said.

But for residents who have already seen water fill their basements once, the concern isn't just Wednesday's rain, it's whether the next major storm system will bring the same problems all over again.

"I just thought everything as far as flooding was over with," Simmons said.

Like many other homeowners on the West Side, Simmons has yet to receive help from the city since 2023's historic storms to make repairs from flood damage.

"It seems like nobody knows what can help you. That's the biggest problem. Nobody can help you," she said.

City leaders have said the West Side has dealt with decades of infrastructure challenges, and now they're promising help.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration said more than $520 million is being directed toward flood recovery projects, much of it through federal disaster recovery funding approved after the storms.

City plans also include sewer improvements and a proposed $40 million dollar home repair program designed to help residents fix flood-damaged homes, but that isn't set to start for at least another year.