KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Flooding damaged homes in Kansas City, Kansas' Argentine neighborhood in May.
In the months since, Argentine neighbors have been waiting to hear whether infrastructure failed during the storms.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are involved with reviewing the circumstances of what happened.
Two independent engineering firms are preparing reports that replicate the flooding event to figure out whether infrastructure contributed to the impact of the flood waters.
In June, a month after the flood, the agencies said neighbors should expect the findings in 30-60 days.
Thursday marks 80 days since that update.
"We're at their mercy," Argentine neighbor says
Argentine is a known flood zone in KCK.
Leslie Hernandez and her husband, Michael Garcia, invited KSHB 41 to their home moments after the storm flooded their basement in May.
Their son's room downstairs is unlivable.
Since the flood, the furnace went out and the family installed air conditioning units throughout the home.
Plumbing issues with the basement bathroom forced plumbers to dig a hole to find where debris came through from the storm.
"As a family, we're stuck in this position," Hernandez said. "Now we have three children. What was once a fully furnished basement is now like a construction zone that none of my family can access."
Hernandez said insurance paid out $4,000, most of which covered getting rid of the water.
All of the repair costs now fall on their family.
In the midst of dealing with the damage, her family received a notice their home value is significantly higher, which could mean more taxes. They plan to appeal.
Hernandez said: "Initially, we wanted to stick around. We loved the neighborhood and community. We’ve been here over five years now and fell in love with it. Our kids love it here. Now, because of this and how it’s panning out I don’t know if we want to remain and risk continuing to deal with the situation moving forward. It’s unfortunate because it was our first home and we’ve been tainted by this."
Katie Rico, president of the Argentine Neighborhood Association, has been a liaision for neighbors trying to get answers from the Unified Government.
"I think they know why it floods and someone has to step up to the plate take responsibility and start to make changes for the Argentine community," Rico said.
The agencies had a community meeting on Wednesday, but could only share the review is still ongoing.
Rico and Hernandez said the meeting was not widely communicated to the neighborhood.
They've asked for a virtual option so meetings can be accessible.
Rico said: "Remember that this is where families live, these are our homes and our children are waiting at bus stops the day after these floods...waiting in muck."
The neighborhood association president wants the UG's elected officials to get more involved with Argentine, including a budget consideration for infrastructure and an emergency fund to help families impacted by flooding.
The Unified Government's public works director and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would not share the first draft of the engineer firm's report.
However, they did say it will review whether the gate to one of the pumping stations not being fully closed prevented the station from being activated during the storm.
The KC Levee project, overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is making improvements to the pumping stations.
Argentine's pump stations are old and have needed upgrades for decades.
Scott Mensing, KC Levees Program Manager for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said there are several questions they need to answer about the flooding.
"What we're trying to understand in this study, in the May event, when water is falling in this community, it didn't get out efficiently, it caused flooding, it caused damage" he said. "Why?"
Jeff Miles, director of Environmental Services for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, said they want to plan open houses at the Argentine pump stations to explain the process and challenges of the infrastructure.
"We originally shot for a 60-day window and we exceeded that. That was a failure on our part," Miles said. "One of the challenges we really have is some infrastructure was built in early 1900s, late 1800s, for capacity at that time and community has grown."
The Unified Government and Army Corps of Engineers recently asked neighbors to re-submit a more detailed claim form.
They've also asked neighbors to share more information and documentation from the flooding event to aid in the review process.
For Hernandez, it will be her second claim to the county — adding to an already strenuous situation.
"We’re real people dealing with real issues because of this," she said. "It’s not just myself, it’s the rest of the community. We should be treated as such. We’re not just numbers — not just claims forms," she said.
There will be another meeting with the Argentine community when there's an update on the flooding review.
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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.
