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Residents Tell Hanover Park Board of Basement Flooding; Village Explains FEMA Process and Cleanup Plans
Summary
Residents described basement flooding and power outages after an intense July storm; village staff said it has collected resident reports, is awaiting federal disaster approval, and will run targeted cleanups and data collection to model mitigation options.
Residents described severe basement flooding and long power outages at the Village of Hanover Park boardmeeting on July 16, pressing officials for information on assistance.
"My house had almost 8 feet of water in the basement," said Joni Sharma, a resident who spoke during the town-hall portion. She said stormwater from two retention ponds flowed into her neighborhood, stalling vehicles and filling basements.
Village staff told Sharma and other residents that the village has posted a damage-reporting survey and is consolidating information to pursue assistance. "We are pursuing with the county and anybody else that we can pursue with," the presiding official said, noting staff will share updates through the village website and social media.
Village public-works staff (identified in the meeting as TJ) gave a technical briefing on the storm: "The best data that we have right now is that we got approximately 3 inches of rain per hour for 2 hours," TJ said, describing how detention basins overflowed and multiple drainage systems were overwhelmed. TJ said crews jetted drains, inspected basins and collected photos and elevation data to model the event and identify mitigation options for future budgets.
Officials clarified the difference between local reporting and federal disaster assistance. "The only way for us as a state and for homeowners to get that additional assistance is when the governor writes to the federal government," the village manager said, adding that Governor Pritzker had made a state declaration and the village is waiting to learn whether federal assistance through FEMA will be approved.
Several residents raised public-safety concerns. Luisa Feducha said her mother, who uses oxygen and dialysis, was inaccessible for hours and that some neighbors were without power for days after the storm. "They would not come and get me," Feducha said of a unit she called for help, and she urged the village to press utilities on restoration priorities.
Village staff and the fire department confirmed they provided on-the-ground assistance where possible but said the village cannot direct private utilities. The village manager apologized for residentshardship, said the fire department assisted at several homes, and announced special cleanup support: dumpsters and an additional curbside pickup Saturday starting at 7 a.m., with the village asking residents to follow normal Groot pickup rules.
Officials asked residents to submit photos and elevation details to help build a computer model of the storm and to guide mitigation planning. The village also encouraged contact with state legislators to press for disaster recognition if residents believe Hanover Park should be included in a federal declaration.
The meeting closed with officials reiterating that they will publish updates on the village website when new information about state or federal aid is available.
