December Chicago Flooding - Anxiety Time

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park Flood- Record-breaking Chicago rains. )

I'd been planning to add a post summarizing the experience of the Albany Park Flood and creating some kind of closure for this blog, as the effects of the September 2008 Albany Park Flood of the Chicago River are fading into the past. But not so fast!

On Friday we heard that we were due for some intense storms and that the temperature was going to spiral up into the 50's or 60's, melting the mounds of snow that had made travel so difficult over the past few weeks. The weather people and the news outlets were making it clear that, due to the rains and the high temperatures, the Chicago area could be in for serious mid-winter flooding. Not what we wanted to hear after we had just spent a couple of weeks moving a lot of stuff back down into the basement so that we could have a livable living room.

Friday afternoon the city trucks started sandbagging the block south of the river, the 5000 block of Monticello that flooded so badly in September. Listening to those dump truck and front loaders was eerie. The Chicago River was already fairly robust Friday evening, but nowhere near flood stage.

Saturday Chicago River Flood Watch

As the rains started, I pulled up Weather Underground on my computer and kept watch on the radar. I read everything I could find about the weather and the flooding, and I could not sleep. I awoke at 2 a.m. Saturday morning and couldn't fall back asleep until the first line of storms were gone, about 7 in the morning. But then I awoke again a couple of hours later when the next storms went through.

I kept looking down into our (still dry) basement every half hour. I actually felt very anxious, almost terrified.

The Chicago River was up over its banks yesterday morning, though from my living room, I could still see people walking along the path by the river. Back in September that path, pictured at the intro to this blog, was completely submerged. I did see people from the Water Department and Streets and San all over the area yesterday.

Flooding in Riverside and DesPlaines

There was no attention to Albany Park from the media, but there was much talk about flooding of the DesPlaines River in Riverside and DesPlaines. I read of people who had just moved back into their homes, just moved stuff back into their basements, who were again facing flooding. To be honest, the DesPlaines River has flooded in Riverside and DesPlaines ever since I can remember. I grew up in the western suburbs, and we all knew that that beautiful area of Riverside along the river was prone to flooding. I did feel for those people... to go through all that we all went through in September and then have it all happen again is very hard.

Saturday Night: No Albany Park Flood... yet

I continued my agonizing watch through Saturday, and I felt quite relieved when the radar showed that most of the rains had moved on to Michigan and places east. The weather and news people made it clear, however, that we weren't out of the woods yet. There was plenty of extra water up farther north, and these rivers might not crest until Sunday, Monday or even later.

I went out to do some errands about 7 p.m. Saturday evening, and I drove through the neighborhood. Though the Chicago River had blown its banks, it was nowhere near as high as it had been in September. The parks were waterlogged, but there was no flooding on any of the roads. Our basement remained dry, and I hope that is true of all of our neighbors. I did manage to fall asleep Saturday night.

But those reports of rivers still to crest weren't very comforting.

Natuzzi Leather Sofa Meets Its Maker

Ever want to see the innards of a sofa ---- A Natuzzi Leather Sofa in particular?



(As usual, you can click on the pictures for the gory details.)



Nope... it's not pretty.



(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park Flood- Record-breaking Chicago rains. )

Paul's Natuzzi leather sofa was indeed very comfortable and very attractive. It was comfortable for sleeping as well, as I fell asleep on it many times while he stayed awake watching something on T.V. Some nights when I just couldn't sleep and I was up tossing and turning, I'd take my pillow and a blanket and I'd manage to fall asleep on that sofa.

The sofa wasn't in great shape as Paul's cat, the cat that disappeared this year, had occasionally used the sofa as a scratching post. But it still looked good and it was comfortable. He'd had it for about ten years, several years before I met him, and he really loved that sofa.

The sofa was completely underwater during the Albany Park flood, and afterwards it was completely waterlogged. I could barely push the thing a few inches so that I could cut the rug out from under it. It wasn't going to be moved up the stairs, so the obvious solution was to break it up and haul it up in pieces.

Two of Paul's coworkers volunteered to come over a couple of weeks after the flood and do the deed. I found the axe and a hammer or two and they set to work.

The Death of the Natuzzi leather sofa in pictures

Boy, it would be great to start with a picture of the leather sofa in its glory, but I couldn't find one. Maybe some other time.

Here is the sofa underwater, to the right with the blue pillow on it:



Here it is, full of mold, with futon leavings drying on it:



In the process of being taken apart:





All that is left.. what couldn't be carried out was swept up into contractor bags:



Adios, Natuzzi leather sofa... Another victim of the Albany Park flood bites the dust.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: December Chicago Flooding: High anxiety time )

Albany Park Flood Recovery and Barack Obama

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park Flood- Record-breaking Chicago rains. )

What a gorgeous fall day in Chicago! The city looked great last night for all of the Barack Obama election festivities, and it is exciting to anticipate a "Midwest White House" and a lot of attention to our city over the coming years.

I was touched by the emotions of middle-aged and older black people as they reacted to Barack Obama's election. I grew up in the 50's and the 60's. All of us, white, black, and everybody in between, have come a long way in terms of tolerance and acceptance. Older black people grew up in a time when they had to struggle to go to school, struggle to get voting rights, struggle to eat in certain restaurants, struggle to live. I don't know that anybody who grew up back then, those of us in our 50's or 60's or older, could ever have imagined that a black man could be elected President. It doesn't really matter of what political persuasion you are; Obama's election is an amazing statement about this country. I wish him (and all of us) the best.

But this isn't a political blog. So I'll continue with our attempts to get our lives back in order after the Albany Park flood of the Chicago River.

We have sewer/drain insurance. We still do not have the money from the insurance claim. Well, we almost do, but our bank has a hold on the check. The frustration of trying to deal with this insurance check has been just overwhelming. We were told that banks often put 10-day holds on such checks because they often "come back". Why would an insurance check written by a corporation come back? I also wonder if banks are holding onto things longer (not making the funds "available") due to the whole credit fiasco.

I think I will call the insurance commission today and at least lodge a complaint. And the FEMA people have left Northeastern. I guess if we still have questions, we have to use the FEMA hotline.

It's overwhelming. I think I said that already.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Natuzzi Leather Sofa Meets its Maker )

Albany Park Flood cleanup... Week 6

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park Flood- Record-breaking Chicago rains. )

Recovering from the Albany Park flood should be getting easier, but both psychologically and physically, it seems to go up and down.

Good News; Bad News

The good news is that the humidity in our basement is under 40%, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The drier the area, the less friendly environment for molds and bacteria.

The bad news is that we're still pulling moldy stuff out of the basement, and I've just started taking down the wallboard. I've got the worst of the wallboard down, which was in the laundry room and the bathroom. It's just slow going, and though I'm getting much better at hammering down the wallboard and cleaning up any obvious mold, I'm only one person.

Most frustrating for us now is the fact that we still don't have our insurance check. We've signed off on the "loss statement" over a week ago, and I badgered our agent a few times this week.

The upstairs is still full of stuff, and that is starting to be difficult to deal with. I'm still a good week or two away from having things clean enough in the basement to start bringing stuff down there so the upstairs can be habitable.

"Progress" in the Bathroom after the Albany Park Flood

First, a peek into the downstairs bathroom when we still had 3-4 feet of water in it. This is just the entryway, as we weren't going to walk all of the way into it with 3-4 feet of muck. That white thing is a little shelf unit that used to sit up against that wall and hold toiletries, towels, etc. The water is higher in the first pic than in the second:





After the water was out, we were left with this mess... and I didn't take any really good pictures of the bathroom mess.. It actually was much worse!





The doors down there are all warped; they will all have to go.

Where We Are Now

This is where we are now. I first filled a couple of contractor bags with water-logged toilet papers, soap, miscellaneous undistinguishable medications and toiletries, stuff that was in the vanity under the sink, garbage from floating garbage cans, etc. The bathtub and the sink were loaded with stuff that had floated into the bathroom and remained when the water went down the drain. I knocked down that moldy white shelf unit and loaded it into contractor bags. Then I cleaned and bleached the floor, the toilet, sink, and bathtub, all of the walls, even the ones that will go.

I pulled down most of the wallboard, cleaned and bleached the wall behind the wallboard and the studs. There must have been two rooms there once upon a time.. part of the wall behind the wallboard was white, part was green. We also noticed that the rehabbers must have knocked out some of the cement from the wall behind the studs.... perhaps to make room for the studs? The vanity will have to go, but for now, the mold has been contained... There is discoloration and stains, but no mold:





The toilet paper holder actually survived the flood. Complete with new toilet paper, the downstairs toilet is now very clean and completely usable.

Every Man's Dream

Oh, I almost forgot! Paul had a reading stand down there in the bathroom, full of magazines about cars, motorcycles, and guitars. All of those magazines resulted in three heavy bags of sodden reading material. We did save the little stand. And we also had a T.V. by the toilet (The T.V. was saved and is now upstairs.).. The movable mounting unit for the T.V. can still be seen on the wall, even though the wallboard has been pulled out around it. (That's every man's dream.. a reading table and an HDTV in the bathroom opposite the toilet.)

So that's where we are. Six weeks (or is it now seven?) after our lives and our home were completely disrupted by the Albany Park flood!

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Insurance checks and Barack Obama. )

Disaster Food Stamps... Comments Part 2

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park Flood- Record-breaking Chicago rains. )

More comments from readers of the article on disaster food stamps:

If you don't want to read more of these comments about Disaster Food Stamps, just continue here: Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Albany Park Flood Cleanup Week 6

The published comments are in italics, my replies follow:

Two words, Job and Insurance. I too had a flooded house and my insurance covered most of the stuff. I did have to shell out a couple hundred bucks extra to get food, but oh well. I work hard, full time, and although I dont make alot of money I make enough to support myself, my family, pay the bills on time and have a little extra to go out and do stuff once in a while. Now my taxes go to put food on the table to lazy unemployed people that want to milk the system. I didnt have money for college, so I got a job, worked hard and worked my way up. I live on my own, pay my bills and am going back to school to earn my degree. What I got I earned. I didnt impregnate my girlfriend 100 times and therefore am able to live. When I finish school and make more money then the kids will come.

Well, we had a job and we had insurance and we have savings. Our loss exceeds what we will get from the insurance and FEMA. If you needed and were entitled to the assistance due to food loss due to the flooded house, why wouldn't you pursue it (other than the wait)? If you were entitled to help, you could have swallowed your pride and received a couple of hundred dollars that could have helped you with your school. You have paid taxes, so, had you decided to apply for some food assistance, you would have also "got what you earned". The program is not designed to help lazy unemployed people; it is designed to help people who experienced significant loss due to a natural disaster.

WHAT does home damage and lost possessions have to do with FOOD?!?!? Thanks Bush! Thanks IDES/DHS! What am I missing here? (Other than a free ride like these BUMS!)

Can these people get a job already instead of waiting for a handout!! What a joke....

Lather, rinse, repeat. This program has nothing to do with people getting a job, nor with people being bums. Unfortunately, there are people who will take advantage of a well-intentioned program.

For all those who complain about the few dollars in food stamps, lets cut out all government handouts. Things like the gi bill for college and home purchasing, fha mortgages and insurance, home tax deductions, unemployment benefits, corporate tax credits and bail out loans and equity. Lets just send all of our money to Iraq like we been doing, instead of helping the people in the usa.

Unfortunately, this is the kind of program that is somewhat easy to abuse. But your point is well made.

Disaster food stamps for other places?

President Bush declared seven northern Illinois counties disaster areas after the heavy September rains across the region. (WHAT A JOKE!)

What about the people in NW IN who have lost everything due to the flooding there as well. Why hasn't the fearless leader in the white house think about those folks.

NW Indiana also had a Disaster Food Program a few weeks back. I'm not sure why they got theirs earlier than Illinois did.

My basement flooded and yes I lost alot of things food included that was in the deep freezer and no I didnt have the time or day to go and stand in line for foodstamps and yes I work full time and I'm a full time student raising my son on my own, where I lived the water came to my back door which have stairs that lead up to it. I wish I could get foodstamps!

It is truly unfortunate that many hard-working people who could benefit from this program will not be able to get the assistance to which they are entitled because they can't find the time to stand in line.

This is CRAZY!!! I had no power for 4 days, and I lost alot of food, but because my basement didn't flood I don't get anything!! What kind of proof did these people need to show to get this money?? Myself and the other people who had to go work and couldn't stand in line, what do we get? Just another great way to spend our hard earned tax dollars...

If you were in an area with no power for four days, even though you didn't flood, you might have been entitled to some assistance. They would subtract the value of the food you lost due to no electricity (probably $200-300) and compared it to your income and ready cash reserves for the month.

It's interesting that people up here are recieving aid. Houston has essentially been forgotten about at this point, and support was scarce when it was offered.

I just did a quick Google search, and read that 45,000 people in Texas signed up for Disaster Food Stamps. If that figure represents families applying vs. individuals, it means that at least 100,000 people in Texas did get Disaster Food Assistance.

I'm amazed at some to the ignorant comments the readers of this paper leave. Most have racist undertones, no compassion for the poor and needy, and are spoken in pride! These are "Americans" May God have mercy.

There are certainly angry people posting here. People don't like Food Stamps, and most of the people posting here are not distinguishing between regular food stamps and the disaster program.. and they are assuming that everybody who gets Food Stamps is some kind of lazy loafer.

Yes, we have worked!

And I'll bet you never worked a day in your life to just put food on the table amd make that mortgage payment all the while trying save for your kids college and retirement.

Because if you had to work for everything you've managed to accomplish in life, you wouldn't be so willing to see it be given away to someone else without your approval. You would have known from life experiences that there are a many scammers out there. The put more effort into beating the system than looking to do the right thing like find a job and pay for it themselves.

And once they attack you for being "rich" even though you are not, maybe then you'll understand.

You have led a sheltered life.

Umm... most of the people in my neighborhood work every day, pay mortgages and work hard to put food on the table.. and try to provide funds for their kids to go to school and hope they can eventually retire.

Then they are hit with four feet of water in their basement; washers/dryers/hot water heaters/furnaces that are trashed, furniture, supplies, food, possessions,photos, all gone. Thank heavens that some of us can tap into the taxes that we have paid for years and get a little something. I don't think that most people posting here have ever lived through this kind of disaster. I know I hadn't until five weeks ago.

VOTE WISELY!!! The people deserves the government it elects!!!

Lot's of heartless bigots out there. And some of you calling it socialism need to go back to school. The nationalizing (govt. buying) of our banks is a much more socialistic move. Both candidates and parties, as well as Bush pushed it through.

As I wrote above, Disaster Food Stamps have been around in some form since 1974. The program has been amended and formalized several times during several administrations. This is not a new program, nor a Democratic or a Republican program.

O.K, enough about disaster food stamps for people affected by the Albany Park Flood. Now let me catch my breath. Whew!!

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Albany Park Flood Cleanup Week 6

Disaster Food Stamps: Comments, Explanation

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts here at Albany Park Flood: Record-breaking Chicago rains. )

The Disaster Food Stamp program is getting more publicity today, and it's not necessarily good publicity. Here's a story about hundreds lining up for flood food stamps.

As of this minute, 24 people have posted comments, and many of them were enraged.... or the comments were based on false information. I wrote a comment, but it hasn't yet been posted. So here are my responses to some of those comments-- The published comments are in italics; my responses follow:

Disaster Food Stamps based on Flood Damage and Income

"The money was allocated based on the number of people in the home. Wendy Weather, a mother of two young kids from Calumet City, received $447 this morning, money on top of what her family normally gets in a month."

The money was allocated based on income, loss from the flood, and the number of people in the home. People were not entitled to get money from this program unless they had flood damage.

Get a freaking job already & quit relying on hard working American's to pay your bills!!!

If you had flood damage and the flood damage exceeded your monthly income or greatly reduced your monthly income, you could get Disaster Food Stamps. It had nothing to do with employment. Our damage was so severe, that we could have had a much greater income than we did that month and still qualified.

Disaster Food Stamp Program Was Started in 1974

We're going to have a country full of people with their hands out if that Socialist gets elected!

Get used to this.

In the words of the presidential candidate who is leading in the polls:

"I just want to spread the wealth around."

I don't think that either candidate would roll back the food stamp or the disaster food stamp program. The Disaster Food Stamp program has been around in some form since 1974, during a Republican administration.

So, if you line up and say you have water damage, you get food stamps? What a crock! Are the officials just taking your word for it?

My sense is that people requesting supplemental food stamps (people already in the program seeking extra allocations) might have been screened more carefully than those who were seeking one-time only assistance. This is just my impression; I don't know for sure.

What about the people with flood damage who work and couldn't afford to take the time off to wait in line?? This is an outrage!!!

I am not sure exactly what this person considers an outrage... that he/she couldn't take time off from work? Or that the program exists at all?

My comment is for Jeff and the other person with the comment, there were plenty of people that was in line that works so the lady that said along with her other income, maybe she was referring to her work paycheck. With the economy the way it is they should be giving food stamps away to people even though of us making 6 figures. My basement flooded but I couldn't go stand in a line for 11 hours like some folks did, just to receive food stamps for my family!!

I do agree that people who work and couldn't get away, or people with little kids (who can't stand in line for hours)-- and were entitled to these funds got the short end of the stick. Please remember that this is a one-time thing.

Pontiac, Il, Got Disaster Food Stamps in the Spring

Oh really? I don't remember Pontiac,IL getting food stamps when the whole town was basically under water this past January! We had to fight, and fight before FEMA would actually consider our flooding a "natural disater" At least the people in Pontiac are hard working and don't rely on the government for much, these people, wow, get real. Like they had the food stamps to begin with. What makes you think things are gonna change?

I quickly googled the state Department of Human Services site, and the people of Pontiac were entitled to disaster food assistance back in January. People in our neighborhood, Albany Park, are hard-working as well. Generally, every morning at 7 a.m., this block empties out as people get in their cars and go to work.

The article said nothing about these people not having jobs. I can't imagine ALL employers will not understand that you've recently been the victim of a flood and need to take a day off to handle matters.

The caption under the picture says the woman was not eligible, but then the article does not explain why she was considered not eligible...

The Disaster Food Stamp program has nothing to do with employment or lack of it. It compares damages and losses to income from any source to determine eligibility. I think that some people would be able to get time off to register for this program, and some would not.

Okay...is it just me or is anyone else wondering why in the heck a family of 3 needs an EXTRA $447 in food vouchers for a MONTH!!!!!!!

I'm really worried about how MY tax dollars are being given out. I struggle to pay bills, however they are paid and I'm fine. But that comes from proper money management and sacrifice. An EXTRA $447 is pretty outrageous.

I don't think you understand this program. It is designed to assist people who experienced significant loss due to a natural disaster. Most of the people who are entitled to such funds are not people who are already in the program. People are not entitled to extra funds unless they have significant flood damage.

I certainly hope that you never experience a $20-30 grand loss due to a natural disaster in the same year you are experiencing a loss of income due to unemployment or health problems... or both. Proper money management and sacrifice will only go so far when you experience one personal or natural disaster after another.

People lost EVERYTHING in their homes in the flood, including whatever dry goods they had in their homes.

And this job market has many many people out of work.

And likely many flood victims have jobs but used a vacation day to get in line for food vouchers.

Anyone who will wait in line for hours for food is DESPERATE.

I'll bet the people who are attacking those folks have never missed a meal in their lives.

Well, I wasn't desperate. Not Friday afternoon. I don't know if I would have stood in line for hours had I known the wait would be hours. And I was more desperate three weeks ago when we had to put down a down payment for a new furnace/water heater and we had to spend a small fortune on pumps, dehumidifiers, fans, and cleaning supplies... and my car broke down. We did have to throw away all of our refrigerated food as we had no electricity for several days.

I looked at the wait as getting $50-100/hr for my time and patience. And I felt that, considering all of the tax dollars that we (and our families) have paid over the years, it was good that we could get something back.

Not Only on the South Side

How does giving someone food stamps help them with a flooded basement? Sounds like another free giveaway to people that already recieve free services. Are there going to be locations around places that suffered the worst of the floods, like maybe Des Plaines?

I wonder if they will do a food stamp day in the northwest suburbs for all the people in DesPlaines that were flooded or if they have to travel all the way to the south side to collect?

WHAT does your home being damaged have to do with food? Are you saying they all kept their groceries in the basement?!? "Disaster unemployment insurance", you're gonna have to explain that too.

Yes, the people in DesPlaines are eligible, and there are centers in the NW suburbs. Nobody had to venture to the South Side. Many people in the areas hit hard by the floods lost power for days. The water in the basement resulted in no power which meant that all refrigerated foods needed to be tossed. Also, there were people living in garden apartments who lost all of their food. Some people stored extra food in the basement, perhaps they had a refrigerator or freezer down there, as we did. Unfortunately, most of those people could have used the assistance the third week of September, when the power came back on after the flood.

About the disaster unemployment insurance: I don't know much about that, but if you are faced with four feet of water in your basement or living space, or you are forced to move and/or stay elsewhere because your home is uninhabitable, you might find that you can't work while you deal with the crisis. Or your employer might be closed down due to the flood. Four feet of water in a living space is not the same as a few inches of muck in a basement. Just thank your lucky stars that you are never faced with significant damage due to a natural disaster. If you are ever in such a situation, you will be singing a very different tune.

There are more comments about disaster food stamps and my replies in
the next entry in the Albany Park Flood blog

Albany Park Flood victims can still get Disaster Food Stamps

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park Flood- Record-breaking Chicago rains. )

As I mentioned in the entry on my disaster food stamp experience, the deadline for Albany Park flood victims to apply for emergency Disaster Food Stamps has been extended until Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

The application must be made in person at one of the Illinois Department of Human Services offices, and it took quite a bit of time due to the volume of applicants.

From Chicago Tribune mobile edition:

More than 500 flood victims seeking food stamps lined up outside two Chicago-area state offices early this morning apparently unaware that the offices were closed.

This comes a few days after 3,000 people lined up at a Blue Island location, sparking officials to bring in portable toilets and local police to control the crowds. There also were hundreds of people at other locations.

"We understand it's a testament to the economic crisis and when you couple that with a national disaster, that's what happens," said Marielle Sainvilus, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Human Services.

On Saturday, lines formed, some say as early as 1 a.m., at offices in Calumet Park on Chicago's south side and Blue Island. Maintenance employees contacted the administrators at the Illinois Department of Human Services and staffers were sent to the scene to tell the crowd that offices are not open Saturday and Sunday, Sainvilus said.

Next week, office hours will be extended until 9 p.m. at about a dozen locations.

The deadline for flood victims to apply for food stamps was extended from Friday to Wednesday.

Disaster Food Stamps are given to families based on cash resources available to a household during the disaster.

For example, a 4-person family with a maximum allowable income of $2,328 a month would receive $565 in food stamps. A qualifying 3-person family would receive $445 and 2 persons $311.

Most benefits will be available within three days of the date of application.

Applications for Disaster Food Stamps can be filed at Illinois Department of Human Services offices listed below:

Cook County / Chicago

Calumet Park
831 W. 119th St., Chicago
(773) 660-4700

Humboldt Park
2753 W. North Ave., Chicago
(773) 292-7200

Wicker Park
1279 N Milwaukee, 3rd Fl., Chicago
(773) 292-2900

The Tribune missed the Skokie location to which I went (8020 N. St. Louis, Oakton and Central Park). There weren't thousands of people there, only a few hundred. Also, the income is based on income for the 4-week flood period minus damages. So if you have a 2 person family income of $5,000 gross (and would not normally qualify for food stamps), access to cash of $1,000, but you had $5,000 of damages, you would qualify. The amount of food stamp money you get for emergency disaster relief is a one-time thing; it does not repeat.

There was another article on Disaster Food Stamps today at Breaking News, and it attracted many angry comments. I couldn't resist responding to those angry people, so I added an entry for my Disaster Food Stamps comments.

(The Albany Park flood home page is at Albany Park flood blog: One family's experience. )

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Complaints (some nasty) about Disaster Food Stamps. )

Disaster Food Stamps: A Disaster

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at
Albany Park Flood: Record-Breaking Chicago Rains. )

I had heard recently that Disaster Food Stamps were available for the victims of the Chicago River Albany Park flood. Unfortunately, I had heard that the last date to apply had been yesterday, Friday, October 17, 2008, which didn't give victims much time to respond. I finally managed to get over to a State of Illinois Community Service Center in Skokie, near Oakton and Central Park. (Note: The deadline to apply for Disaster Food Stamps has been extended, as I describe in the next entry at Albany Park Flood victims can still get disaster food stamps. )

I got there around 3 p.m. and there was no place to park. The parking lot was full; people were double-parked, sitting in their cars waiting for spaces to open up, parking on the grass, parking illegally... quite a mess. I finally parked on the street a block away.

I went into the building but initially didn't see any rhyme or reason to the hordes of people milling around, nor did I see any "direction" desk such as one finds at the Secretary of State's Office. I walked to the front, no direction there, then walked back. I then saw a security desk and I asked where to sign up for disaster food stamps. I was pointed to a very long, slow-moving line. Standing in this long, slow-moving line was the first step.

Standing in line was quite a revelation. I heard people discussing what they should tell the intake people in order to get the Disaster Food Stamps. "Tell them you lost your shoes and your clothes," said one woman to a man who didn't seem to have any legitimate reason for getting disaster food stamps. "Tell them that you didn't have any electricity and you had to throw out all of your food," said somebody else. "Just write down that you have six people in your house. I don't think they check," said a different woman. It's very difficult to stand in a line when you have a legitimate reason to get some kind of aid and overhear people simply taking advantage of the system. It's not surprising, but it is one thing to hear about it on the news, and another to listen to people standing just a few feet away who are actively making plans to abuse the system.

After about half an hour I came to the front of the line. My name was placed on a list and I received a form to fill out. It was at this time that the woman at the desk announced that the deadline had been extended until next Wednesday, October 22nd. Great, I thought, I'll take my form, fill it out at home and come back next week. No such luck... People can't take the form with them; if you leave and come back, you need to get back into the slow-moving line and start from scratch. Since I already had half an hour invested, I decided to stay.

I filled out the form, not a very lengthy or difficult form, turned it in, found a chair and waited. And waited. It was after 4 by the time I turned in my form, and at 5 p.m., the scheduled closing time, employees started putting on their coats and leaving via the rear doors. But we were told that the center would stay open and we would all be seen. There were about a hundred people waiting at this point.

I couldn't remember much about the people in line in front of me.. I figured if I could remember one or two people who were in line ahead of me, and if I saw them get called, I would know that my turn was soon. But I kept looking around, I kept waiting. Eventually it was 6 p.m.

Then I saw a woman in a distinctive white sweater get called, and I became hopeful. I remembered that woman's white sweater... she was a few people ahead of me. I would be called soon!

I was right... about ten minutes later it was my turn. The young woman caseworker subtracted the amount of the damage and loss from the amount of our income and available cash for the month, and we clearly met the guidelines for Disaster Food Stamps. I signed various forms and then waited while the woman entered my name into the system. Then, as we don't have LINK cards (the Illinois food stamp card), I needed to go back out to the waiting area and wait while our LINK card was enabled. Finally, at about 7 p.m., I was done and out.

It's too bad that we couldn't get these food stamps when we really needed them, back about three weeks ago, when we used up all of our ready cash with the down payment on the furnace/hot water heater, the dehumidifier and a few other things. But I'd had two big garbage bags full of food that I had thrown out.. I'm happy to have some assistance right now.

So, even though the process is daunting and time-consuming, it is probably worth it. Most of us have paid our taxes faithfully for years... If you need to use some of these services, it's good that they are available. But it is frustrating to realize how many people abuse these services. Nothing I can do about that, however.

Due to the large volume of people and the short period of time, waiting for Disaster Food Stamps was a disaster itself. But, for us and for other victims of the Albany Park Flood, it was worth the wait.

(The Albany Park flood home page is at Albany Park flood blog: One family's experience. )

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Deadline for Disaster Food Stamps Extended. )

FEMA's temporary office at Northeastern Illinois University

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park flood -- Record-breaking rains. )

FEMA has opened a temporary office in the Physical Education Building at Northeastern Illinois University, Central Park and Foster, to assist people who were impacted by the Albany Park flood. The signs to the offices are well-marked, and parking is available just a few steps away.

I ventured over there on Sunday, October 12th. I found the FEMA people to be caring and helpful. I had already applied for FEMA assistance and the inspector had already been here, so I was pleased to find that we had some emergency assistance coming. I hadn't expected anything until we heard from our insurance company. One of the FEMA people told me that I should hear something from the insurance within 30 days. If I don't hear from them within the coming week, I should talk to the Illinois Insurance Commission. We also might be able to get some temporary funds if there is a hold up in getting a settlement from our insurance company.

FEMA had set up several "stations"... One to deal with aid, one to answer questions about mold remediation, a few others that I can't remember, and there were representatives from the IRS and the state of Illinois as well.

We also may be able to get some food stamps to replace spoiled food. The expiration date to apply for the emergency one-time food stamp allotment is Friday, October 17th, so I need to check into that today. My family exceeds the income guidelines for such temporary assistance, but apparently there are exceptions due to the nature of the disaster, so I will apply and see what happens.

As we still have moldy stuff in the basement, somebody also said that there may be teams of volunteers to help pull out the rest of the stuff. I will check into that as well, but this week has been a bit chaotic... Paul was in the hospital for another test, so our schedule is off.

Life is simply very taxing these days.

(The Albany Park flood home page is at at Albany Park flood blog: One family's experience. )

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Disaster Food Stamps: A Disaster. )

FEMA's Disaster Recovery Office Now Open

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

I received this message from the office of Alderman Marge Laurino:

FEMA Disaster Recovery Center
Opens In Albany Park


The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the state of Illinois. Homeowners, renters and business owners affected by the Albany Park floods of September 13-14, 2008 may be eligible to receive federal assistance.

To serve the needs of the affected residents, Alderman Laurino, State Representative John D'Amico, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, and the city's Office of Management and Communications worked with FEMA to open an office in the Albany Park community. The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Albany Park will provide face-to-face assistance to those who suffered damage.

The center will be located at:
Northeastern Illinois University
Physical Education Building
3600 W. Foster Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625


The center will open at noon, Tuesday, October 7. Starting Wednesday, October 8, the hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.

Residents should register with FEMA before visiting the center. There are two ways to register: log on to www.fema.gov or call FEMA's toll free number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Both numbers are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m, seven days a week, until further notice. Residents should register only once; duplicate registrations may cause delays in the delivery of assistance.

Before going to the center, residents should bring identification, Social Security numbers, insurance information, proof of address and contact phone numbers in order to help speed up the assistance process.

Services people can expect to receive at the disaster recovery center include:

* Guidance regarding disaster recovery;
* Clarification of any written correspondence received;
* Housing Assistance and Rental Resource information;
* Answers to questions, resolution to problems and referrals to agencies that may provide further assistance;
* Status of applications being processed by FEMA;
* U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) program information; and
* Information from representatives of other federal, state, and local agencies.

More information is available online at www.fema.gov.


Special thanks to President Sharon Hahs and the staff of Northeastern Illinois University for working with FEMA to find a location for our local disaster recovery office. We appreciate their dedication to the Albany Park community.

If you want to subscribe to this e-newsletter, click on the link below or sign up at www.AldermanLaurino.com

There is also an article about the office on the ChiTown Daily news site:

Chicago storm victims seek relief through FEMA .

Thanks for the heads up on that article, Craig!

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: FEMA's Temporary Office at Northeastern Illinois University. )

Albany Park gets FEMA aid

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

It looks as though Albany Park is an official FEMA disaster area. I just saw this news item this evening:

Federal officials grant flooding assistance grants

Associated Press
6:49 PM CDT, October 3, 2008

CHICAGO - Federal officials have approved disaster aid for seven northeastern Illinois counties affected by severe weather last month.

The Federal Assistance Emergency Management Agency says the counties are Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle and Will.

Residents are eligible for federal aid such as low cost loans for housing and programs for business owners to recover.

Record rainfall in September flooded hundreds of homes and businesses, forcing more than a thousand evacuations. Tens of thousands of people were without power.

Officials say they'll continue damage surveys and additional areas might be designated for assistance.

Governor Rod Blagojevich declared the seven Chicago-area counties state disaster areas last month.

I'm sure we will hear more about this at the meetings scheduled for the week after next.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: FEMA's Disaster Recovery Office Now Open! )

Albany Park Neighbors discuss Albany Park Flood

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park: Record breaking Chicago rains. )

If you haven't yet found or checked out the Albany Park Neighbors blog , please drop by as they have a wealth of information on their site.

Here are some notes about the meeting held last weekend:

This morning over twenty dedicated neighbors showed up for our second meeting. We shared the good news that we will have a meeting with Alderman Laurino on Monday, September 29. A smaller delegation will present our concerns to the Alderman and discuss what can be done. We also heard some personal stories from worried neighbors and two crews from Univision and WGN-9 news taped part of the meeting and interviewed neighbors. A big thank you to these channels for keeping this story alive. Be sure to tune in to the news tonight.

In addition, we shared a petition that will be sent to our representatives in many branches of the government, from local to federal. In the petition, we call on the local, state and federal government to:

1. Take measures to update Albany Park’s sewer and drainage system, eliminating annual water back-up issues by blocking rainwater and preventing sewer backup;

2. Take measures to protect Albany Park from flooding caused by the Chicago River, pushing through measures that were promised for years, including but not limited to berms and retaining walls;

3. Thoroughly review its response to the Albany Park flood—in particular anticipation and readiness, sandbagging the affected area and communication with the neighborhood—and institute necessary changes.


In the following week, you will see people on the street, at Kimball station and going from door to door, gathering signatures. If you want to volunteer your time to gather these important signatures, please contact us at albanyparkflood (at) gmail.com.

More updates to follow after Monday’s meeting. Stay tuned! And in the meantime, don’t forget to keep sending us your personal stories about the flood. Send them to albanyparkflood (at) gmail.com.

Albany Park Flood .. Restoring DVD's -- Week 3

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts here at "Record Breaking Chicago rains". )

We have received updates and information from both the Albany Park Neighbors site and from the office of Alderman Laurino. I'll post that in a separate entry.

I would love to know how other people in the area are doing with clean-up and repair after the Albany Park flood. It's very slow here.. We don't yet have all of the carpeting pulled up nor do we have all of the wallboard down. My goal is to pull up the rest of the carpeting on the east half of our basement in the next 2-3 days, dry out that part of the basement, put down a tarp, and then start moving all of the saved items over to that side, also all of the saved items from upstairs, which are still cluttering our upstairs living room.

I happened to come across a video from the University of Iowa on salvaging and cleaning old records and DVD's. The University of Iowa, which is located in a beautiful location on the Iowa River in Iowa City, experienced unprecedented flooding last June. The library, the arts campus, and the student union building were seriously damaged, and many buildings are still closed. This video was recorded by the Preservation Department and it gives a demonstration of restoring both old records and DVD's.

Though we were able to save many or our DVD's from the flood, we still have many that were underwater. I will try the approach they suggest, which involves washing the DVD's in distilled water, then drying them first with alcohol, then hanging them to dry.

I haven't mowed my grass since the flood, and I still haven't planted the chrysanthemums that I bought just two days before the big rains. I think our autumn decorations will be a bit sparse this year.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Albany Park Gets FEMA aid! )

Normal depth of the Chicago River: 2 feet!!

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

Earlier today I read that the normal depth of the Chicago River North Branch is all of two feet! (Sorry, I can't find the link.)

It had crested at 8 feet and caused such a mess.

A two-foot deep river!

(Next post: Restoring DVD's )

albanyparkneighbors.blogspot.com

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

Some of our neighbors who are also flood victims have started a blog at:

albanyparkneighbors.blogspot.com.

From their site:


This Web site was created to serve as a central point for Albany Park residents. We want to accomplish a couple of things:

* Gather the stories from the community (letters, photos and videos);
* Keep the community up-to-date on what is being done and what can be done;
* And raise the following issues:

1. Sewers and drainage;
2. Protection from the river and water management;
3. Response and communication during the crisis.


If you have stories, photos or videos that you want to share, or if you have questions (or answers) about any of the issues, please feel free to leave a comment or to send an e-mail to albanyparkflood (at) gmail.com

There will be a community meeting on Saturday, September 27 at 9:00 a.m. Location to be announced. Stay tuned!

And thanks to those people (whom I have not yet met) for mentioning my blog on their site.

Flood plains and furnaces

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

I just had to find those online FEMA flood plain maps again. I remember carefully checking them before we bought this house to ascertain that this house, as close to the river as it is, is not on a flood plain. It is not. But, I was somewhat surprised to see, the houses on the other side of the river, on the 5000 block of Monticello (which became part of the river during the flood) are on a flood plain, though I can't remember which exact "level" of flood plain. In fact the marking on the flood plain map followed the path that the river took down the 5000 block of Monticello very closely. I suppose I can say that, for us, this is just a 100 year flood. I hope.

(I just heard that these flood plain maps were changed very recently. If so, that is why I didn't remember any of the residential neighborhoods around here as being on a flood plain. That's disturbing. You buy a home that isn't on a flood plain, and then it is. I didn't know that could happen.)

I believe that I will never feel the same way about rain, especially if thunderstorms and heavy rains are predicted. I find myself getting tense if even a little rain is predicted. This summer I've watched the people of Iowa, western Illinois and Missouri who struggled with the floods. I was watching news about Hurricane Ike the same morning that the Chicago River was overflowing! But living through the mess and the rebuilding is different than watching these things on the news.

There must be some PTSD (post-traumatic stress) for all of us who have lived with this kind of destruction and loss.

I now have a shiny new furnace and a shiny new hot water heater. The shiny new hot water heater replaced the shiny new hot water heater that we just put in last January, unfortunately. But the old furnace was 15 years old. All of the work was done in a few hours, and we were able to enjoy hot showers last night.

We've spent over $2,000 so far including the down payment on the furnace/water heater, and other bills are late. We've only begun. The washer/dryer, all of the furniture down there, the wallboard; all a loss. Thank heavens we have some insurance, but it won't come anywhere close to covering most of this.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Normal Depth of the Chicago River is Two Feet! )

The Second Week --

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

It's been 10 days since the flood.

We're still camped out in my son's room. At least the DISH TV box is working.

I've been spending a couple of hours in the basement every day... that seems to be about as much as I can manage.

I bought a big super-duper dehumidifier. Somehow I got the thing down into the basement myself and hooked it up to the drain. The humidity down there is down about 15% already. Our patio is filled with saved items that have been washed down and are drying in the sun.

We have about 9 boxes of papers, photos and souvenirs that were flooded, and I'm going through them sorting and saving. My son's office room table has been filled with drying pictures. Sunday I dealt with Paul's pictures. I told Paul, "Here is your life; spread out on this table."

Last night I came across a box with my son's baby pictures and another box with all of his school reports and report cards. Most of them are salvageable, thank heavens.

Now it's time to dig up more wet clothes and go off to the laundromat.

That's the interesting thing about tragedies and disasters. The news crews are gone, no more news helicopters waking us in the morning; but the mess just goes on. And it probably will for months.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Flood Plains and Furnaces. )

Insurance adjusters and wet carpeting

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

Well, we do have a drain/sewer rider to our Homeowner's insurance. It's not going to cover anywhere close to the total loss, but it's a beginning.

The insurance adjuster was here today, taking pictures, looking things over, and he said that our home was the worst one he has seen during this last round of storms. But he admitted that he didn't have any homes to look at on the 5000 block of Monticello or over on Avers.

We've got approximately 48 x 25 square feet of wet carpeting over 48 x 25 square feet of wet carpet padding. I'm scoring it into pieces approximately 4 x 4 and hauling them up the stairs one at a time. Then we can start pulling down the wallboard.

After we get the furnace and the hot water heater up and running, I hope that we can get a new washer/dryer. Mine were old and they didn't work that well. I had to bail the darned washing machine every 2-3 days. Then we can figure out what to do with the structure of the family room.

Meanwhile I'm exhausted and I smell. Just keep your distance if you see me! (Our deodorants, safe in the downstairs bathroom medicine cabinet, made it through the storm. They were above the water line. But I smell anyway. It must be hauling garbage and carpet pieces and no hot water for regular showers.)

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Chicago River overflows: Recovery- The Second Week. )

Albany Park mid-September

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

I took a morning tour of the neighborhood on this beautiful perfect mid-September morning. I noticed that the little house by the river, a house abandoned last summer, the first house with the river rushing through it, was being demolished. Now that house should have been demolished a while back. It's been vacant for a year!

They had rose bushes growing in front of it.. The rose bushes had gone wild, but I would have loved to have dug them out and transplanted them. Those rose bushes, and every other part of the house are now in a city dumpster somewhere.

The waters have finally receded enough so that the bicycle path is again passable.

I can see the high water marks on buildings, on fences, and the river is still out of its banks!

The park is still a lake and the neighborhood ducks and geese are merrily swimming in it... the park benches in that park are still underwater.

Another little bridge over the river had been completely submerged. The high water debris is about two feet above the bridge.

I talked to several people and asked them where they lived and what kind of flooding they had experienced. "The river was up to the corner of the block, and we all had three to four feet of water in the basement." said one cheery man on the 5100 block of Hamlin. Yes, he was very cheery as he pulled garbage from his basement into the alley. He might as well be cheery! Does it do any good to mope?

The politicians have gone home, and the news reports that start with "Flooding in Albany Park" have ceased.

But we're all still here, pulling stuff out of basements, trying to create normalcy out of lives that have been ripped apart.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Insurance adjusters and wet carpeting. )

The Clean-up - Day 5

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

This morning was a perfectly beautiful mid-September morning in Chicago. 70+ degrees, sunny, not too humid. Perfect. The blooming roses, the perfect lush September flower beds, the ripening tomatoes bely the chaos of the inside of our home.

We've documented all of the mess, and now it's time to clean.

But where do you start? I walk from room to room, up and down, and don't even know what to do first. I actually have less energy to do anything today than yesterday, the first day that all of the water was out of the house. Why is that?

But we need to make the upstairs livable. It will be home for us for awhile, as we have no idea how long it will take before we can get the basement fixed. I've heard that we will have to replace the water heater and the furnace, as they were under water. Where will we find the money for that?

Our home, our port in the storm, doesn't feel like too much of a haven these days.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Albany Park mid September. )

City of Chicago workers

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

Starting the day after the flood, there were workers all over the place. City of Chicago Streets and Sanitation Workers dressed in hazmat garb gathered up ruined trash that people threw outside of their homes and they went into people's homes and helped elderly neighbors get the heavy stuff out their basements. They loaded all of the junk on big bulldozers.

People's Gas and ComEd trucks have been all over. I heard this morning that a home in a flood zone in Muenster, Indiana blew up overnight... Problems with gas. I guess it is a good thing that the gas was turned off around here, as difficult as it is to deal with no gas. At least it is September, the most temperate month around here. Most of us can live without heat or air conditioning for a few weeks in September.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Clean Up Day 5. )

Meeting Neighbors

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

We've lived here for three years. We know some of the people on this street.... we smile at them as we drive by. But we don't really talk to them.

The best thing that comes out of disasters is that people start to meet their neighbors, to complain, to help, to exchange the latest info on gas, electric, city services, possible FEMA assistance. That's nice.

I've talked to more people in this area, both people on my own block, and people on other blocks, in the last five days than I have in the last three years. I met the couple that just moved in... yep, just a month ago, with their two little kids at the end of the block. They also did their homework and heard that the street doesn't flood.

I met the woman with the beautful house right on the river on the 5000 block of Monticello.. She has big picture windows that open onto the creek. And the gentleman who lives behind her on the 5000 block of Central Park. He was setting up a pump early, Saturday afternoon. I wonder how he did.

There's a new bond in the community: How were things on your block? How high was the water? What did you lose?

The neighborhood seems friendlier; the bond of disaster and tragedy.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: City of Chicago workers Help Get Rid of Junk. )

Chicago River overflows... Refugees in our own home..

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

Our bedroom was under water, now it is just waterlogged. Our heavy waterbed had floated a couple of feet off of its "mooring". We emptied it, but waterbeds, with an internal support of foam, never really empty. You are supposed to be able to empty one without damaging the darned thing, but it is very tricky and I'm not sure if anybody has ever actually done it. We are still hoping that the waterbed mattress and its frame, which is designed to be a bit more water-friendly than a normal bedframe, will survive.

So... we moved upstairs. We are supposed to have three bedrooms up here, but there is only one usable bedroom right now. My son has turned the smallest of the bedrooms into an office/computer room and the third bedroom, which is supposed to be a guest room, is unfortunately full of "stuff".

My son is at school, so we are temporarily camped out in his room. We saved the Dish network box, so Paul set up a T.V. in there. But somehow it feels as though we are in a motel. I cleared out a few drawers in my son's dresser so that we can put our things there, but we spend a lot of time losing things and trying to remember where we put things.

We still don't have hot water, and it is unclear as to whether or not the water heater will have to be replaced. I've heard conflicting things. So sponge baths and showers at friends' houses will have to suffice.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story:
Meeting Neighbors. )

Depression and Grief after the Albany Park Flood

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

We've lost our home.

Well, that's a bit melodramatic. Our roof is still over our head; no windows have been broken, and the outside, everything looks the same... The flower beds blooming brightly, the front lawn still looks pretty as I mowed it and edged it last Thursday, the day before the last day of normalcy.

Our loss pales in comparison to that experienced in Galveston, and to that experienced in other parts of our neighborhood.

The homes on the block south of us flooded so quickly that people had no time to get anything out. They described water coming down the gangways and steps like a waterfall. Water came in through the windows into the garden apartments of homes on the 5100 block of Avers, just a couple of blocks west of us. They were taking people out of their homes on boats.

And, of course, we are fine and our dogs are fine. We just have to keep them out of the basement.

But loss is loss and grief is grief. Anyone who goes through such a flood, such a loss, will grieve the loss of the home they had. The good old comfortable sofa is water-logged and will be tossed. My beautiful teak double dresser, a beautiful piece of furniture that has followed me from home to home for 30 years is ruined.

We are in disarray, and though we have our electricity back, we still have no hot water.

It's still a shock to go down into the basement, and we still can't find anything.

(Next part of the Albany Park Flood Story: Chicago River overflows: Refugees in our own home. )

The Albany Park flood water is gone!

(Our personal Albany Park flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

I went to my friend's house Monday night. She has been gracious enough to allow us to shower at her home, and she fed us on Sunday night. The water had started to recede in our basement, but we still had about 18 inches to two feet of water down there when I left for her home Monday evening. A neighbor told me that he would come by with a generator when I got home and he would help us pump out the rest of the water. (My husband was working.)

But when I got home after dinner, about 9 p.m., the water was gone! I took my flashlight (as we still didn't have any electricity) and cautiously and anxiously ventured down the stairs.

The wall-to-wall carpeting was still very squishy, all kinds of stuff had just piled up in various corners to which it had floated, most of our furniture was ruined..... Obviously a huge amount of work awaited us, and things were already beginning to smell musty.

The pictures tell the story of what was left better than I ever could.







More mess pics on Flickr

( Next part of the Albany Park flood story: Depression and grief.)

Senator Durbin and the Press Conference

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

I was walking about the neighborhood Monday morning. We still had 3 feet of water in our basement, and there was still not much that we could do.

I walked up on the bridge by the bike trail and noticed hordes of reporters and cameras. I heard that a press conference had been called for 11:30, just the time that I was taking my walk. The cameramen tend to be tall... I think it's probably a necessity in that business.

So I hung around. Senator Dick Durbin was there, along with our Alderman Marge Laurino. Someone said that our other Illinois senator, Barack Obama, had sent a representative, but I'm not sure who that was. City officials talked about when they opened the locks, why they had to wait, what they were going to do, much of which I could not hear.

They talked to homeowners, talked about getting federal disaster money, talked about projects that might have (or might still) prevent such a calamity in the future. The homes below them, on the 5000 block of Monticello were still surrounded by water.

Next part of the story: The Albany Park Flood Water is gone!

Here's a few news clips from that press conference:

Fox clip

ABC local clip

Chicagoist clip

Sun Times article

WGN radio

No electricity, no gas

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

It was deathly quiet that first night, the Sunday night after the flood. The electricity to the neighborhood had been turned off, and People's Gas was digging down the street. We later heard that they had pulled up a piece of gas pipe on every block in the neighborhood to cut off the gas and to minimize the possibility of explosions or fire.

We went to my dear friend Chris' house. She made Paul a burger and I had Thai soup. Paul promptly fell asleep on her couch and slept for a couple of hours.

Our neighborhood was blocked off by police cars, so we had to take the side streets and the alleys to get through. The whole neighborhood, all the way east to Kimball, was without electricity and was eerily dark, eerily silent...

Except for those who had generators. The generators hummed all night.

At least it had stopped raining.

We had a Radio Shack wind up emergency radio and we listened to the news reports on WBBM 780 all night long.

The night was difficult, but eventually Monday morning dawned, bright, sunny, and dry.

We looked down the stairs, but we really couldn't tell if the water had started to go down or not. It still looked as though it were on the fifth step. At least it hadn't gone any higher.

Next part of the story: Senator Durbin and the Press Conference on the Bridge

Shock after the flood - Sunday morning

(Our personal flood story, complete with pictures, starts at Albany Park floods-- Record-breaking rains. )

It is hard to describe what we felt early Sunday morning. We were exhausted and in shock. We didn't know how far the water was going to rise. We didn't know how much we would lose, nor did we know how long we would have that water in our basement.

About 5 a.m., I ventured outside, just as the sun was starting to lighten the skies. The people across the street had a pump! They were busy pumping water out of their basements and they were drinking beer. Not much else to do at that time.. just watch the water and drink.

They closed the door and opened the wine

(I later heard a resident of the 5000 block of Monticello, the lower-lying block that was hit much worse than ours, describe the arrival of the water. "I saw how fast the water was rising, and I knew I couldn't do anything. So we closed the door to the basement and opened a bottle of wine." When you've reached a certain kind of resignation, you understand that sentiment completely.)

I asked the neighbors about the pump. "The Home Depot on Kimball has stayed open all night to sell pumps," I was told. So we found Paul's spare car key (we couldn't find his key ring) and we got in his car and ventured out to the Home Depot.

The surreal "other" world

There is something surreal about moving back into the "real" world when your own world has turned to chaos. Our house was dark, as we weren't going to turn the electricity back on. The rest of the world had lights and power. Our house was a literal disaster area, with water in our downstairs living area and stuff filling every nook of the upstairs. The rest of the world lived in more orderly homes. We were dirty and wet and exhausted. The rest of the world was clean, dry, and still sleeping on that Sunday morning.

We quickly bought a pump... too quickly as it turned out; as the pump we bought was really unsuitable for our needs. But we didn't realize that until we started to read through the instructions.

We didn't have any electricity but the neighbors did. We saw that the house to the south, a house that is empty as its owners have moved away, had electricity and an outside outlet. It was still raining and I couldn't get our side gate open. So Paul, bad neck and all, jumped the fence and hooked up an extension cord to the neighbor's outlet.

Then we tried to read through the pump instructions.. Paul was reading over the manual..... and he fell asleep. Yep, just zonked right out, head nodding over the owner's manual. I think I managed to wake him and get him into the bedroom while I continued to look at the manual. No, this is the wrong kind of pump, I decided. We needed a smaller pump. I decided that we should go back to the Home Depot.

Exhaustion and confusion

But I was too exhausted to do any more, and Paul was sleeping, so I also went to lie down. When Paul awoke just a few hours later, he seemed confused. I realized that he hadn't eaten anything since before he had left work Saturday evening. Finally when he awoke a bit, he decided that we should go to Dunkin Donuts and then back to the Home Depot for a smaller pump.

He did decide that it was a better idea if I drove so we got into my car. By the time we got to the Dunkin Donuts, Paul had again fallen into a deep sleep. He stirred a bit and said that he didn't want donuts. I decided to get burgers, so we went through the McDonald's drive through. But they were still serving breakfast; no burgers yet.

I drove back through the rain to the Home Depot and got the smaller pump. By that time, it was late enough for burgers at Mickie D's. I got burgers. Paul had one bite and fell back asleep.

We went home; he went to bed for a few hours. He did not even remember the trip to McDonald's and the Home Depot when he awoke.

And a visitor from Texas: The remnants of Hurricane Ike

Meanwhile, the Hurricane Ike rains had started. At times it was raining heavily. The rains weren't expected to stop until early evening. I kept looking at the skies admonishing the clouds to stop raining. I wondered if the river had yet crested and if we had yet reached high tide in our basement.

We peeked through the basement door and found that the water was on Step 5:

(Click for the full effect:)




More pictures here at Flickr:

After the Flood pictures at Flickr

Next part of the story: No electricity, no gas