ILLINOIS VILLAGE KEEPS FLOODING AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHY THE FOX FILES STARTED INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE AFTER EXTREME WEATHER SPECIALIST CHRIS HIGGINS FOUND HOMES TAKING ON WATER DURING RECENT STORMS. THAT'S WHEN FOX 2 INVESTIGATOR MITCH MCCOY STEPPED IN TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE AND WHAT'S BEING DONE TO KEEP HOMES DRY. HELLO TO YOU. THIS HAS BECOME SUCH A MAJOR PROBLEM. THE VILLAGE OF MARISA HAS BEEN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ALREADY. >> AND MAY BE SPENDING MORE THAN A MILLION WITH HOPES THAT KEEPS WATER OUT OF HOMES. IN RURAL ILLINOIS, WHERE TRACTORS, RIGHT? MAIN STREET. I LOVE THAT ADAM RUSSELL. AND TRAIN ZIP THROUGH MARISSA AS FAST AS WATER OVERTAKE THE VILLAGE. >> WHERE WOULD YOU SAY THE WATER WAS IN THE LAST FLOOD? >> BOW SYRIA. ADAMS IS A 2 TIME CANCER SURVIVOR. HER HUSBAND IS A NAVY VET. THEIR HOME HAS FLOODED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 5 YEARS. I'VE PUT MORE MONEY AND REPLACING FLOORING. THAT I PAID FOR MY HOUSE. THEY HAVEN'T REPLACED THE FLOORING FROM THE MOST RECENT FLOOD THAT HAPPENED JULY 5TH. AND IT ALL HIT ONE DRAIN ONE COLD. CAN ALL GO THROUGH LIKE THEY ALL ARE. WATER FLOWS REMAIN CLEAR. THERE'S NO OBSTRUCTIONS TO THAT. THIS IS A MYSTERY YEAH, IT IS. IT IS A MYSTERY. IS THERE. >> IS THERE SOMEWHERE DOWNSTREAM USING, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY CHANGING DOWNSTREAM? MARISSA MAYER CHAD EASTERN SAYS THE VILLAGE STARTED FLOODING 5 YEARS AGO. >> DURING SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENTS AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY I'VE LOST MANY NIGHTS OF SLEEP IN AND THIS >> ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT THAT I'VE EVER HAD TO DO IN MY LIFE IS TRY TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM THERE ISN'T A PHONE. I CAN PICK UP AND CALL AND SAY, HEY, GIVE ME THE SOLUTION WHEN IT RAINS, WATER FLOWS DOWN THE STREET TO THE COVERT. BUT THE COVERT IS NOT KEEPING UP STREETS FLOODED. AND SO TO SARAH'S HOME ON EAST DRIVE OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY TAKE ON WATER IS WELL AFTER THOSE RAIN EVENTS. AFTER ALL OF THESE RAIN EVENTS WITHIN 45 MINUTES, EVERYTHING IS PASSABLE. THERE'S NO STANDING WATER ANYWHERE IN 2020 AND ENGINEERING SPECIALISTS FOUND LIMITED RESTRICTION IN WATER FLOW, BUT NO EVIDENCE OF DAMS OR AREAS EXHIBITING SIGNIFICANT FLOW RESTRICTIONS. THE VILLAGE IS LOOKING AT NEARBY LAND TO PUT IN A DETENTION POND, AREA WHERE EXCESS WATER CAN FLOW THAT COULD COST NEARLY 1.3 MILLION DOLLARS. MAYOR EASTERN SAYS MORE THAN 50% OF THE VILLAGES HOMES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY FLOODING IN THE LAST 5 YEARS. WHETHER IT BE LANDSCAPING, WHETHER IT BE HOMES, FLOODING, WEATHER, THE LOSS OF OF FLOORING OF VALUABLES INSIDE THE HOME. PEOPLE THAT LIVE AROUND HERE. WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BUILDS UP AND BUILDS UP ACROSS TOWN. CHRISTIE, STODDARD KNOWS FIRSTHAND HOW QUICKLY THESE CULVERTS CAN LOSE TO RISING WATER ONCE THIS BUS, THEN IT JUST. >> IT'S FAST. IT GOES VERY QUICKLY. 2 YEARS AGO, CHRISTIE RISKED HER OWN LIFE TO RESCUE A 13 YEAR-OLD BOY WHO GOT INTO A COVERT. IT GOES THAT QUICK. SEBASTIEN WENT DOWN AND THEN IT WAS JUST CHAOS. THE BOY REMARKABLY SURVIVED. THAT LIKE USING MY HAND LIKE MY HAND, WAS OUT OF WATER, COME UP AND GET SOME REST. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DATA SHOWS MORE THAN 6 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. >> IN LESS THAN 48 HOURS DURING LAST MONTH'S FLASH FLOOD, THE SAME AREA FILLED WITH WATER. NEARLY 3 INCHES IN 3 HOURS. YOU CAN'T SEE ANY OF THIS. YOU WHEN THAT WATER, IS THAT HOW YOU CAN TELL THAT THIS IS HERE? >> SO I THINK EVEN IF THEY COULD JUST PUT IT SOME TALL SIGNAGE OUT THAT SAYS BE WHERE, YOU KNOW SOMETHING TO DRAW ATTENTION TO AND IT SEEMS EACH TIME JUST GETS. I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEBODY IS CHANGE SOMETHING UP STRAIGHT BACK AT SARAH'S HOME. SHE CAN'T EVEN GET FLOOD INSURANCE BECAUSE >> SHE'S NOT TECHNICALLY IN A FLOOD ZONE. >> MY LUNGS ARE SHOT. I TAKE MY DECEMBER DAY. ONE MEDICINE COST $500 A MONTH. BUT I HAVE INSURANCE TO PAY FOR THAT. I DON'T HAVE INSURANCE TO PAY FOR SARAH SAYS IF THE VILLAGE WANTS TO BUY HER OUT OF HER HOUSE, SHE'LL DO IT. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, SHE FEARS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IT RAINS AGAIN, SHOULD HAVE TO THROUGH THIS. MY HUSBAND SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH HE THIS COUNTRY. HE WE COULD HAVE BETTER THAN US. >> THE MAYOR SAYS THERE'S BEEN NO MAJOR CONSTRUCTION IN THE AREA THAT WOULD AFFECT WATER FLOW. ILLINOIS'S GOVERNOR AND
