Governor Asks For 11 Counties To Be Named Federal Disaster Areas
CHICAGO (CBS) – It was just last month the Chicago area got pounded by severe flooding.
On Thursday, the entire Illinois congressional delegation sent a letter to President Obama asking for federal money to help.
Gov. Quinn also reached out to the president, asking for help for 11 Illinois counties, including Cook.
The cleanup may be over, but the recovery is ongoing, CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports from hard-hit Westchester.
Three weeks ago, the intersection of Gladstone and Manchester was completely underwater. The water is gone, but the threat of heavy rain still makes folks around here pretty nervous.
Insurance adjusters are still calculating the damage.
"I've been extremely busy, as you can imagine," claims adjuster Kim Stevens says. "We scope as many houses as we can per the day and then at night we sit in a hotel room and write claims."
Outside Virginia Garcia's Westchester home, the water rose 18 inches high. Inside, down in the basement, the water and the damage went deeper -- up to 45 inches.
Another heavy flood, back in 2010, forced Garcia to gut the basement down to the studs to prevent mold.
"Now, I'm scared to live here. I don't know what I'm going to do," she says.
She's scared she'll have to replace her furnace and her water heater and her electrical service for a third time.
Down the street, the flood cost Paul Menconi plenty.
"The house was sold, and then it's not sold anymore," he says.
After the flood, Menconi's buyer backed out. Garcia's considering getting out -- if she can.
