ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – Residents voiced their concerns as officials toured parts of the Metro East slammed by torrential rain and flooding Tuesday.
Amid ongoing flood recovery efforts, Illinois U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski and the Army Corps of Engineers visited flood-stricken neighborhoods in Cahokia Heights on Friday.
The flooding added to other concerns in the area, such as a sinkhole that emerged on North 63rd Street.
“All we’re asking is for help,” said Metro East resident Kenna Mosby. “We’ve got problems breathing from the water. This isn’t the first time. We go through this all the time. We’ve been complaining, complaining, complaining. We don’t get help.”
Flooding is an ongoing problem, but Budzinski says there is movement. St. Clair County has declared various neighborhoods and municipalities as disaster area, which help with relief efforts and offering resources.
“I would urge constituents that have been impacted by this flooding to go to the county website,” said Budzinski. “They can actually fill out an assessment form and talk about the specific damages to their homes. And that can be a part of what is calculated in the disaster relief.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also listened to residents’ frustrations.
” We will have a draft report ready for city review by September 16,” said Shawn Sullivan, Army Corps strategic planning coordinator. “With that there are some grant opportunities that we don’t want the city to miss.”
St. Clair County residents affected by recent floods are asked to fill out a damage assessment form on the county’s website.
