Some families in the southwest suburbs were dealing with the aftermath of flash flooding after severe storms and heavy downpours on Friday caused power outages, downed trees and flooded basements.
“The water started coming in from everywhere, the pumps couldn’t handle it,” said Luis Maciel, a Summit resident. “It started overheating, then next thing you know, I was sitting on water until 10 at night.”
Luis Maciel walked NBC Chicago through the damage in the basement of his family’s home. He said everything was floating after the flooding Friday afternoon.
“Just sad, just sad, very sad,” he said. “Nothing you could do but wait.”
His basement was flooded with three feet of water, as shown in a cellphone video shared with NBC Chicago. He’s now cleaning up the mess.
Maciel said nearly everthing needs to be replaced, including his appliances and electronics.
“This is the worst it’s been that I have ever seen, yes,” he said.
Neighbors told NBC Chicago it took hours for the water to recede. The rain started Friday around 3 p.m.
Residents shared pictures showing just how bad one intersection looked.
“It was just tremendously filled with water, like you were in the middle of a lake,” said resident Liliana Martinez.
Martinez, who lives near 61st Place and 74th Avenue, said they’ve experienced this before.
“I had to put in a pump in the back of my yard so it wouldn’t come in my yard, but even then it was a tremendous amount of water that I had streams coming into my son’s bedroom of water,” she said.
Summit officials said the last time severe flooding occurred was in July 2023. The village’s sewer system was overburdened then, causing the same problem this time around.
“I would like for them to upgrade their sewer systems or help even the homeowners,” she said. “At least help out with some pumps, give homeowners some kind of help. We’re paying all these taxes—what’s being done?”
NBC Chicago reached out to the village of Summit for a comment and received the following response: “While much of the flooding has now resided, our Public Works team is diligently working to ensure prompt cleanup and requests that residents place any damaged items by their regular garage pick-up location by Monday, July 28th . Please be mindful of this request and thank you to Public Works for their continued efforts.”
The statement continued: “The Village at this time is exploring options that would provide additional assistance to residents. For those affected, it is advised to keep a record of the damage by taking pictures and listing any damaged or destroyed items. Also note to keep receipts for costs incurred during the flood, such as for hotels, clean-up, replacement and repair.”