GRIFFITH | A group of residents told the Town Council on Tuesday they have had it with continuing problems during heavy rainfall.

During last Wednesday's storm, roads flooded, power was knocked out and water seeped into basements. Public Works Director Rick Konopasek estimated more than 200 trees fell during the storm.

For some residents on the town's north side, the aftermath of a storm was worse than the heavy rain itself.

Keith Felde, who lives in the 100 block of North Arbogast, asked why his street keeps flooding.

He and other neighbors complained about cars driving through the deep water, often at a high rate of speed. When that happens, the water, already partially in their front yards, ripples up against their foundations.

Board members said they might see if it is legal to provide the residents with signs saying "high water" or "road closed" during these times.

Konopasek said the town's stormwater system, designed in the 1960s, is only capable of handling a 10-year flood event. Steady rains are handled without flooding, but heavier rainfalls overload the system.

"I know this is not what you want to hear, but that's the reality of it," Konopasek said. It would cost millions of dollars to replace the entire system with wider storm lines, he added.

There is one stormwater pump that needs an overhaul although it is still working, Konopasek said. It is too risky to do this during the current trend of storms because it would be out of service for a month.

President Stan Dobosz, D-5th, noted that the road in front of his house is designed to hold flood water until it can drain away. The same thing is true of other streets in town. "Better on the street than in your house," he said.

Dobosz said he signed a declaration of disaster to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security last Friday. As a result, the town's own departments received help from the Lake County Emergency Management Agency, Indiana Department of Transportation and the departments of Correction and Natural Resources.