In August, a single mom and her kids in Garfield Ridge were forced to flee their home because storm-related flooding caused the basement to fill with sewage.

The family of four living near Midway Airport experienced what tens of thousands of people across the city and Cook County endured during heavy rainfall in July and August, according to documents reviewed by the Sun-Times that included the unnamed family’s story, along with the trials of many others.

The state says they are among almost 438,000 residents across Illinois who could benefit from disaster relief funds. Nine counties were hit with flooding.

But President Donald Trump’s administration last month rejected the state’s requests for disaster aid, a seemingly unprecedented move by the federal government given the amount of da

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