Joliet homeowners are demanding answers from the city and neighborhood developer after recent record rainfall caused substantial damages to numerous homes.
“Four or five houses in one neighborhood is not an act of God,” Jason Garcia told CBS 2. “It’s something that wasn’t built right.”
Garcia, a resident of the Hunters Ridge neighborhood in Joliet, said he has suffered $20,000 in damages due to the flooding.
“Children’s clothes, freezer, a refrigerator stocked up before COVID-19,” Garcia said. “Just anything you could think of.”
CBS 2 reports members of the neighborhood believe the flooding is due to the failure of a concrete-like structure in their backyard that is supposed to act like a funnel by draining water from the farm across the street into a creek. Homeowner Elvia Mendoza said the flooding could have been avoided if there were better communication from the neighborhood’s builder, Lennar Homes.
“The builder didn’t disclose that this area flooded because of all the extra water we get from the farms,” Mendoza said.
Lennar Homes said it will help fix the flooding issue.
“Lennar is committed to doing right by our homeowners affected by record-breaking rainfall,” the company told CBS 2. “In the short term, we are offering free temporary housing while we work with the City of Joliet and our engineers to evaluate the situation. We are working with the City of Joliet to develop a permanent drainage solution to divert flows from adjacent farmland.”
While the homeowners believe the city is also responsible for the flooding because it approved the flood mitigation plan, CBS 2 reports the city’s director of public works said it was mainly the builder’s responsibility.
Garcia and Mendoza have only been living in their homes for past year.
