Despite Chicago going through a recent heatwave, dozens of neighbors are still dealing with damage from earlier flooding.
Even after certain neighborhoods in Chicago received a disaster warning due to floods, many are still waiting for government assistance. Now, FEMA is opening disaster relief centers around Cook County.
Four disaster flood recovery centers will be located in the county for residents impacted by the summer flooding. As a part of the government’s response to the intense flooding in the month of July, President Joe Biden approved the centers to help residents and business owners with the heavy financial burden.
Despite the long wait, even now, residents are only just finishing repairs on the damage that occurred during the flood.
One example is Carlos Robledo, who spent more than $80,000 to finish the basement in his home. However, just as he finished his new renovations he watched the food tackle his home in July. At that point, there was nothing Robledo could do but wait as the flood reached three feet high.
Even after applying for FEMA assistance, the $6,300 received could not begin to cover the damages reaching $38,000.
Flood Victims Still Struggling Even with Assistance
Like Robledo, many families have to pull money out of future savings and credit cards to fix their homes. Boilers, heaters, and hundreds of dollars in furniture are now useless as the owners struggle to repair their home’s basic necessities.
However, even assistance facilities are having a hard time providing the right help. Andrew Friend, working with FEMA, explains how hard it is to provide the right funding once the water recedes.
There’s a lot of challenges when you deal with flooding because once the water recedes, it’s kind of difficult to see what the damage really is – What we’re here to do on the ground is to get the money into the hands of disaster survivors on the ground to help jump start their road to recovery.
Even after neighborhoods receive the help to rebuild, many question whether they are expected to wait for something like this to happen again.
Some residents could not take the financial burden, let alone the fact that this could happen again. When the week-long floods happened in July, Kathryn Taylor shared just how bad it was. Despite calling as many helplines as she could, Taylor was constantly turned away. Living with her grandchildren and children she was eventually forced to sleep on an air mattress because she could only afford two real mattresses for her children.
She spoke about crying for days as she couldn’t even raise enough money through a GoFundMe.
I was sleeping on pillows on the floor until the other day and I really want to move, but it’s going to take me some time, financially, because I have to try to replace all these things – I can’t risk staying here because I can’t go through this again. It’s been dreadful.
FEMA Applications and Locations
Now people can apply for assistance until the deadline on October 16th. Those affected by the flood, including businesses, will be eligible to receive grants for repairs or temporary housing.
Registering for assistance includes scheduling a FEMA inspector to visit the home to analyze the severity of the damage.
Two of the new recovery centers will be located on the West Side of Chicago in Austin. Located at street 4851 W. North Ave, Washington Square Mall, and another located at Columbus Park Fieldhouse. The two other recovery agencies are located in the suburban area of Cicero and Berwyn.
The Federal Emergency Agency, the program responsible for its opening, will be joined by Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle to announce its opening next Tuesday.
Written by Brielle R. Buford
Sources:
CBS News: Disaster relief centers open to help Cook County flood victims
Block Club Chicago: Here Are More Ways Chicagoans Can Apply For Flood Assistance From Record-Breaking Summer Storms
Block Club Chicago: West Siders Struggle With Flood Cleanup As Local Officials Say Resources Are On The Way
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Jerry Posluszny‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Jerry Posluszny‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
