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Niles resident says bad sewers caused flooding in heavy rain
By JORDAN COHEN
NILES
Robin Norman says the sewers near her Washington Avenue home are clogged, and her finished basement paid the price last week.
Norman told city council Wednesday her basement sustained extensive flooding damage when a heavy downpour inundated Niles on Aug. 11. Furniture and carpeting were ruined, she said.
“This is the first flood we’ve experienced in six years, and it’s because the sewers are either clogged or no longer working,” Norman said.
Mark Hess, grant and development coordinator, confirmed there had been basement flooding throughout the city that evening and referred to the rain as “a significant event.”
“We heard from the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District that we had 2.7 inches of rain that day, and even our interceptor sewers were backed up,” Hess said.
Norman said sewers at two intersections near her Washington Avenue home, one at Pearl Street and the other at Clinton, have been unable to handle the rush of water. The homeowner said her sump pump and other devices designed to prevent overflow were working, or the damage would have been worse.
“It just kept coming and coming,” she said. “The water was astronomical.”
Councilman Edward McCormick, D-4th, called for the city to check the storm drains and clean them out. Hess indicated the city would look into the condition of the sewers.
Norman, a resident on Washington Avenue for 18 years, said she is afraid to file an insurance claim because of future premium costs or the possibility the company will drop her coverage. She indicated she was not completely satisfied with what she was told.
“I will be back here in two weeks [for the next council meeting]. and we’ll see how things are at that time,” she said.