Politics & Government

Mentor Residents Impacted By Flood Sound Off

About half of the packed crowd at the city council meeting discussed their frustration in dealing with the flood that took place July 20.

Before Mentor City Council approved a grant program to aid people impacted by the flood, officials listened to distressed property owners for hours.

More than half of the packed crowd took the podium to detail the agony of dealing with yet another flood on July 20. Many were here for the floods of 2006 and 2011.

One woman talked about having close to a foot of water in her living room that morning-the same day she planned on hosting 150 people for her son's graduation party.

Some residents like Mike Mandato, who speaks second in the above video, said they continue experiencing issues during heavy rainfall despite having invested thousands into drainage and back-flush projects.

Many of the 600 or so property owners who reported problems to the city are connected to the county's sanitary sewer system. Both Mentor officials and residents agree that the system is undersized, but a long-term plan has yet to be developed. A meeting between city and county officials was scheduled for this morning. City Manager Ken Filipiak admitted the grant program was a "band aid."

Resident Nick Ciani and Mandato discuss frustrations in the attached video.

Have you been impacted by the flood? What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments.


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