Cook County is committing to spend $8m to help south suburbs still cleaning up two months after eight tornadoes touched down across the Chicago area.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the funds while standing in front of a large pile of twisted tree roots and limbs on county property in Oak Forest.
She and Alex Jovez, head of the county’s Emergency Management and Regional Security, said at a Tuesday morning press conference they’ve already taken away enough debris to fill 57-hundred dump trucks.
One of the south suburbs that will get help is Matteson.
Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin says a storm of that size can easily overwhelm a community like hers, with less than 19,000 residents.
Lynwood Mayor Jada Curry says the Aug. 11 storm brought flooding, power outages, downed trees and now she’s hearing from residents who are dealing with mold.
The county expects it will take about two weeks to move debris from more than a dozen local sites to three regional ones, where it is slated to be processed and removed.
It and the Pritzker administration are waiting to hear about possible help from FEMA after making disaster declarations.
A Cook County spokeswoman says the new money is on top of $2.3m it has already spent on cleanup so far.
