FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio (WJW) - As Northeast Ohio was pounded by powerful thunderstorms Thursday night, the heavy rains caused flooding on local highways and surface streets.
In Fairview Park, many residents knew that the downpour would quickly flood their basements, because it has happened so many times over the years.
"As soon as I saw the water coming up out of the sewer, I immediately ran down to my basement and it started gushing out of the drain," said Stephanie Shorts, who lives on West 224th Street. "There was a lot of water. I couldn't stop it. There was no putting anything around it. It was sewage water for the most part. It came up four or five inches, if not more."
For those now dealing with raw sewage in their basements, their anxiety is compounded by their concern about the health and safety of their families.
"I have a two-year-old, her toys are down there. If she's going to be down there playing, is it sanitary? I'm worried about it," said Shorts.
"We have a child that has a bedroom down there, we have a playroom down there, so to see all that and all the hard work that you did, it is devastating," longtime resident Zack Gray said.
Taxpayers who have been dealing with the flooding issues for years say they have complained repeatedly to Fairview Park City Hall and urged city leaders to find a long-term solution.
After heavy flooding from a storm in May 2022, residents confronted Fairview Park City Council about the lack of a regular program to clean out the sewers.
"If you have a general maintenance program and you have a jet machine that's out there cleaning the mains on a daily basis, especially in the summertime like this, there should never be as big of an issue as what they've had," said Gray.
In response to the complaints of residents, Fairview Park Mayor Patrick Cooney told FOX 8, "I understand that they're upset. I'm sorry, I'm very sorry that they're experiencing this. It's a very frustrating thing for people to go through."
Mayor Cooney says the city has purchased a new jet machine to clean out the sewers, but he says it's going to take time to put a dent in the problem in the city of 17,000 residents.
"It's something that we're actively doing that's of no solace to the people who had issues last night and I apologize to them," said Mayor Cooney.
Resident say they intend to keep up the pressure on city hall to solve the ongoing problem with the flooding and sewage.
"Do something so that we can prevent this from happening and having people to go through this multiple times," said Shorts.
"Let's fix the infrastructure of our city for your residents that pay God awful taxes," Gray added.