Boardman residents want help over ongoing flooding concerns in Huntington Woods neighborhood

In the Huntington Woods neighborhood of Boardman, floodwater surged through yards again, tearing down a fence and causing a familiar feeling of helplessness.

"The water comes down through the condos right here and comes rushing over the wall," Stephen Gerish of Boardman said.

His wife, Sheila, said, "The streets were flooded, people couldn't even get through the streets." 

The Gherishes showed 21 News their backyard, where water washed away soil along their fence.

This comes after they've spent tens of thousands of dollars to waterproof their basement.

"Every time it rains, we're just petrified," she said, "I would never have moved here if we had known this, I mean this is just awful."

Next door, 13-year-old Kareem Rawahneh and his mother said they're no strangers to the flooding either.

"We dealt with a lot of flooding," he said, "I lost a $200 soccer ball because of it because it was all rushing down through here."

Neighbors said they've tried voicing the problems for years and feel hopeless.

Boardman's Road Superintendent Kim Blasco said while she's only been in the position for four months, she's listening.

"That was a lot of water that came down in a very short period of time, so at some point, the systems just can't handle this extra water," Blasco said, "I will take a look and see if there's anything we can do in-house to help the situation. If there's not, then maybe something more of a long-term plan to help these individuals in the area to alleviate some of the flooding."

She said anyone dealing with repeat flooding should report it directly to her department and added that she will look into assessing those areas to see what more can be done.

"I'm a big advocate of maintenance to make sure that the systems are flowing properly and how they were designed," she said, "I understand their frustration. I really do, but we can only do so much with the infrastructure we have." 

She said they are in a good place and trying to update existing equipment.

"In other words, if something's failing, we will make replacements," she said, "ABC Water District was created for that very purpose to make sure that any failing systems are addressed and replaced."