CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- As small pockets of power outages persist a week after storms rolled through the area, Cook County is helping communities still struggling.
South suburban Harvey was among the hardest hit communities by last week’s storms, because they took out several ComEd transformers.
Since Thursday, Cook County has been working with the Northern Illinois Food Bank, Salvation Army, and Red Cross to help residents who lost food as refrigerators went without power for days.
A drive-through distribution center at Bryant Elementary in Harvey has helped Cook County's Emergency Management and Regional Security Department give out thousands of meals, said spokeswoman Natalia Derveyanny.
"We wanted to ensure that there were meals available to stop gap and also to help fill those fridges again, and those nonperishable foods, but also fresh fruits and vegetables," she said.
Derveyanny said the county also helped keep the lights on at Harvey’s City Hall, by loaning out generators while power was being restored and is aiding in removing debris that was getting in the way of restoring power to residents’ homes.