CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A West Side Chicago alderwoman said, in some ways, the flooding this summer has not ended for her community.
Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) said, yes, the waters have receded and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has opened a disaster recovery center in the neighborhood.
The crisis, though, isn’t over.
“Processes continue to work until you finish it … now, you have to go to do some work to get the financing,” Mitts said.
She said some people have even received notice of more than $100 million in aid that FEMA has given out, but Mitts added that people need to ask for details of what’s being paid for.
“When you find out what that means, you can determine, ‘Wow, I lost way more furniture than this. Wow, I need more money to clean up,’” she said. “You can file an appeal.”
Mitts — whose own home was flooded — said she knows it’s not easy to get relief money from the federal government. Homeowners have to know the value of any furniture or other lost property, and they have to know contractors’ estimates for any needed repairs.
The alderwoman said aldermanic offices can help residents navigate through all the paperwork.
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