KANSAS CITY, Kan. — KSHB 41 crews were in the Argentine neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas, during Monday afternoon's storms.
Flood waters were so high cars stalled and several basements were damaged.
24 hours later, neighbors still want to know — who is responsible?
Argentine is prone to flooding, much like the Armourdale neighborhood a couple of miles away in Kansas City, Kansas.
Jamie Wood invited KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson inside her family home built in 1970 to see how they're recovering from the water damage.
The Woods used the driveway and sidewalk to try drying out carpet that remains soaked.
"The neighbor called and goes, 'did you get any water damage?"' "Then, he [her uncle] got out of bed. That’s when he stepped in the water," Wood said.
Wood, along with many neighbors, have experienced flooding before.
She said: "I just didn’t expect this to happen and I’m confused."
A few doors down, Michael Garcia and Leslie Hernandez stayed in a hotel overnight after their basement flooded.
"What's going on? This has happened before," Garcia said. "We were told there were upgrades. We're told other pumps they put in up there shut down because water got too high."
The family can see the pump station from their front door. It was built to redirect wastewater away from the area.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did a risk assessment and determined there's a 1 in 500 chance of the Kansas River breaching the Argentine levee system each year.
The pump station was more than 100 years old before it was recently replaced.
The project timeline states the levee and flood wall should be raised by next year.
"We are aware and deeply concerned about the significant localized flooding experienced in Kansas City, Kansas, following last night's severe storms. We understand the frustration and hardship this has caused for residents and businesses. The pump station replacements and improvements within the Argentine, Armourdale, and Central Industrial District are designed to mitigate flood risk in the area. We are currently working closely with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas to understand exactly what happened and why. Our priority is to identify the root causes and work collaboratively with the Unified Government to implement effective solutions that ensure the safety and well-being of the community."
According to the agency's website, the levee system is a shared responsibility.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kaw Valley Drainage District and Kansas City, Kansas, own, operate and maintain the Argentine and Armourdale levee projects.
Kansas City, Missouri, also shares responsibility for the Armourdale levee project.
KSHB 41 did not receive a response to our questions about the flooding problems from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas
Jamie Wood said she could use a big dumpster to throw out belongings that couldn't be saved.
"Are you gonna help me? This is not my fault, and I'm not saying who's to blame, but we need some help, because financially this is not good."
Neighbors hope solutions are found before another storm drains their pockets.
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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
