ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Nikole Haffey avoids her basement since July’s fatal flash floods.

“It was sewage water that came in, and that sewage water is still sitting,” says Nikole – who saw flood waters rush into her sons’ basement bedroom.

On Friday, Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation for the storms that wrecked her home. For those in the Keith Creek neighborhood – especially near 7th and 8th Avenues –, it was a disaster from the start.

“We are the ones that were traumatized,” says the Rockford mom. “I still walk past my basement and see water there.”

Two months after the disaster, Nikole spends Sunday watching her sons play football at Boylan High School. She describes the junior players as “stars in the making.” Since the storms, however, the family pays more visits to the doctor.

With mold growing in their basement, Nikole claims her family experiences breathing problems. While her sons live up to her “star” expectations, she worries what happens the longer they stay in their home.

“Having them out here on the field playing football again is trying to bring back some normalcy to their life has really been a blessing to us,” says the mom.

Alderman Jonathan Logemann (D-2nd Ward) welcomes the proclamation that states Rockford and Winnebago County’s “resources and capabilities have been exhausted, and state and federal resources are needed to respond to and recover from the effects of these severe storms.”

“We keep moving in the right direction,” says Ald. Logemann. “Progress beats stagnation every day of the week.”

The alderman knows the Keith Creek neighborhood isn’t a stranger to disasters – with 2007′s flooding fresh in memories. Yet, Logemann believes the proclamation shows the area isn’t forgotten – at the local and state levels.

Gov. Pritzker also requests a federal response. If signed off by President Joe Biden, the Federal Emergency Management Agency could provide additional loans and one-on-one support for those affected.

Ald. Logemann isn’t sure how long a federal consideration takes, but he’s ready for state help.

“Some don’t have the resource to come back from devastation that is experienced,” says the city council member.

Nikole isn’t completely confident with the state outreach. Renting her home, the Rockford mom worries the declaration doesn’t make a difference.

“What if we don’t have $2000 for a deposit for a new house. We don’t. So we’re stuck,” says Nikole. She feels left “high and dry,” with nothing left in her savings “because we had to replace our children’s things.”

The mom heads into fall without a furnace either.

State resources, like low-interest or no-interest loans, will be available for property owners; for renters, Ald. Logemann recommends renters insurance – besides contacting his office as well.

In July, Nikole returned from a camping trip to her flooded basement; she argues everyday since is like a “never-ending camping trip.”

Alongside drier weather, the mom thanks the community for “stepping up” and making the “campsite” feel like the home it used to be: she “couldn’t be prouder” to live in Rockford with her caring neighbors.

A GoFundMe is up for the Haffey family, with a goal of $15,000 to cover “extreme repair costs.”

Winnebago County joined six other counties – including Cook County – in the disaster proclamation for the July 13-July 16 storms. Those like the City of Rockford can now request state resources and emergency personnel for recovery efforts.

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