SAN ANTONIO – Some residents who live in District 2's Lakeside neighborhood said they are livid because of a major street flooding problem they've had to deal with since their subdivision was built some 30 years ago.
"Sometimes, the water gets so bad that the cars that are parked out here float away," said Eugene Hayes, adding that at times, he feels like a prisoner in his own Lake Crystal Street home.
Hayes said he's owned his house for 30 years and has had to complain about issues of the nearby lake flooding his neighborhood ever since.
"It'll be over 6 feet high in some places," Hayes said.
For Hayes, the issues caused by rainwater are intensified because he's confined to a wheelchair.
"We can't get the mail, and, you know, it's been going on for a while. The sidewalks are buckling," he said.
As an active member of the neighborhood association's flood committee, Hayes has been advocating for the city to make infrastructural changes, as there's only one drain for a few blocks.
"I've called them out, I've showed them where the drain runs. At first, they didn't even know there was a drain over there," Hayes said.
"When the rain gets that far down here, we just get this debris, and we're the ones cleaning it up, sending it back down the drain," said Nate Garza, another frustrated resident.
"For them to not want to fix the drains, and to fix the street, it's just horrible," said Isabel Garza, a resident.
District 2 Councilman William "Cruz" Shaw said he wants to help.
"We're working with city staff to get that problem rectified. It won't happen overnight, but we are making that issue a top priority," Shaw said.
Shaw said he plans to help find more than $2 million in budget funds or get a bond to pay for a three-phase project, which would fix the issue. He said funds could be reappropriated to the project as early as January.