Oct 3, 2008 6:34 pm US/Central
Chicago Area Still Struggling With Flood Cleanup
FRANKLIN PARK, Ill. (CBS) ―
Floods devastated part of the Chicago area last month. Several weeks later victims are still struggling to clean up, and pay up.
Pam Powers' Westchester basement is now off limits because of toxic mold spores.
"There's a whole list of things they can do besides kill you," she said.
Powers' insurance company gave her $5,000 after the flood, but it wasn't enough to get all the mold. Powers says the only way she'll be able to pay now is if Uncle Sam steps up by declaring Cook County a disaster area.
"I was told just yesterday that we're within $1 million of receiving that declaration," said Franklin Park Mayor Daniel Pritchett.
Pritchett says his village has passed the qualifying threshold now after receiving invoices listing millions worth of damage sustained at two of the cities' businesses.
A.M. Castle and Company submitted one of the invoices in the wake of a flood that inundated its parking lot and entire first floor.
The parking lot is now filled with cars and the 450 employees are back to work except for in one place – the first floor office area. That area is still off limits to everyone but cleanup and construction workers.
Office workers are still on the job but won't be back in their usual place until construction is completed by mid-December at the earliest.
It all adds up to a disaster that A.M. Castle officials should be recognized as such by the federal government.
The mayor says he hopes federal officials make a decision in the next month about declaring Cook County a disaster area.
(CBS 2, the Naperville Sun and the Aurora Beacon-News are news partners covering stories in the western suburbs. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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