Missouri and Illinois have seen substantial flooding in what has turned out to be a wet summer, and for homeowners, the weather has presented some serious problems. For one man in Madison County, IL, flooding has caused an estimated $30,000 in damage to his home, and he’s left footing the bill.
Jim Guthrie of Hartford Township says that the town failed to pump the low-lying area where his home sits along Illinois Route 3. Because of the numerous storms this season, Guthrie’s home became flooded on June 25, when more rains arrived.
The water seeped into his finished basement, producing mold along the edges of the room.
Guthrie explained that the home is in a flood-prone area, and his family tried to add sandbags around the basement’s sliding glass door. But after the storm, the basement nevertheless had three inches of standing water, which pushed Guthrie to approach the town about the problem.
Neighbors had also approached the town as early as June 22, saying that the township needed to pump the water in the ditch.
But Village Trustee Bernie Caldwell said there was no pump available, leaving area residents with flooding and Guthrie with a $30,000 bill for his moldy basement.
Typically, a flooded basement may be fixed with basement dewatering systems and other services for homeowners with damp or waterlogged basements. But for recurring problems with drainage, other solutions may be necessary.
As for those in Hartford Township, residents and village trustees alike want to find more permanent environmental solutions to prevent the area from being affected by the flooding.
At this time, flood warnings are still in effect for Madison County, IL, along with several counties in Missouri, including St. Louis County. The National Weather Service has warned that more rain could flood rivers in Missouri, including the Mississippi River, and levee breaks have flooded parts of Greene County, IL, near Madison County.
Hartford Township officials won’t admit fault for the incident, but they are working with Madison County and the Illinois Department of Transportation, along with other resources, to find new drainage solutions. Guthrie, meanwhile, has consulted with a lawyer about the issue.
