CHICAGO (WLS) — West Side residents affected by last week’s flooding plan to meet again Tuesday as they demand answers and ask for financial help to clean up.
Organized by the community group The Leaders Network, several aldermen and the president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District have all been invited to attended the meeting addressing the massive flooding which happened following heavy rainfall the weekend of July 2.
Local leaders say even nine days after the flooding, a lot of people’s homes are still under water. Some residents even say insurance companies have told them their policies won’t cover the damage to their homes.
“I lost everything in my basement, my son’s brand new bedroom set, couches, clothes, shoes, a washer-dryer,” West Side resident Lolita Brinson said.
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“In the Austin area alone, one in four homes has been impacted by the flood. We cannot be under-counted in this situation,” said Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford.
Ford encouraged flood victims to call 3-1-1, so there is a record of how many people are impacted. Alderman Chris Taliaferro, who represents the 29th Ward, has recommended to Mayor Brandon Johnson that the city use some of its rainy day fund to help residents.
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“Our rainy day fund is meant for these type of disasters,” Taliaferro said.
Tuesday’s scheduled meeting follows a community meeting on July 6 in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood about flooding on the West Side. So many angry and frustrated residents showed up, the meeting had to be moved outside.
Both residents and some local officials are calling on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to declare a state of emergency and seek federal dollars.
Later Tuesday, the Willie Wilson Foundation will be giving out free supplies to West Side residents needing help to clean up.
Meanwhile, some residents have hired a lawyer to investigate whether reversing the flow of the Chicago River last week may have impacted flooding on the West Side. The water department told Taliaferro it did not, but he and others are calling for transparency. They are hoping to get answers through six freedom of information requests.
The meeting Tuesday will take place at 9:30 a.m. at Columbus Park Refectory.
