JITU BROWN, a member of the 1,000 Strong Block Club and national director for the Journey 4 Justice Alliance, listens to dozens of flood complaints from Austin residents.
The West Side Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) held a press conference recently asking for a $50 million grant to aid hundreds of forgotten flood victims, many of whom are seniors who have allegedly been left behind in getting financial relief following last year’s mass flooding.
Last summer’s historic June 29 – July 2 flood has come and gone, but not the financial losses hundreds of West Siders are still experiencing, according to Jitu Brown, a member of the 1,000 Strong Block Club and national director for the Journey 4 Justice Alliance.
Brown and several West Side groups held a press conference on February 21 at Every Block a Village Christian Fellowship Church, 5834 W. Augusta.
Brown said they have sent their demands to Mayor Johnson in hopes of getting resolutions to the continued effects of the flood, with some cases bordering on becoming a health crisis.
“We have rolled up our sleeves. We know clearly what the issues are because we are on the ground, and we need the mayor’s support,” said Brown. “We are asking for a $50 million grant to be able to give families what they need.”
The coalition is also asking the mayor to meet with the LTRG in their community.
“We want the city of Chicago to give us a plan on how they are going to address the infrastructure on the West Side of Chicago, so we do not continue with this flooding problem,” Brown stated.
“There needs to be a significant program to meet the needs of these families,” said Brown, who explained having lost his dryer in the flood; if it were not for his sister-in-law having an extra dryer, he would have lost that too. Others were not as lucky, he said.
As a member of the LTRG, Brown said his groups and others have reached out to FEMA, resulting in that agency forming a long-term recovery committee aimed at meeting the needs of flood victims, then connecting them to FEMA resources.
While the groups are working with FEMA to get financial relief, Brown said they’ve learned that “many cases fell way below what many people needed, especially if you are a low-income person.”
Brown gave himself as an example of being left behind in getting adequate flood relief from FEMA. While he is not low-income, Brown said, “All we were able to do was to get the muck out of our basement, do the mold remediation, but we still don’t have the dry wall up in my basement. We don’t have a bathroom sink, and we had some insurance.”
But the plight of low-income people who may be on a fixed income troubles Brown, who added, “The damage to people’s homes was not just like you had a foot or two of water.
“My home had at least more than three to four feet of water. We lost our washing machine, our dryer, our boiler, our water heater, our refrigerator that was packed with food, and a freezer in the basement.
“We lost our plumbing; the electrical outlets were flooded. We have to get our electricity redone, which I have not been able to do yet,” Brown told the Chicago Crusader.
To those on a fixed income who may be living in a basement, Brown said the impact of the flood still exists for them. Their needs have not been resolved. “The problems are immense.”
Brown said his coalition and other groups have been trying to help those still impacted by the flood, including handing out cleaning supplies, getting people humidifiers, working with CEDA to get some water heaters.
“We’ve done all this stuff, but if you have a community that is concentrated with working and low-income families, you can imagine how many people are homeless, including some who are couch surfing with someone else while others are living with mold,” said Brown. “That is what’s happening right now.”
His 500 grassroots groups, who have their own databases, and other groups like the Westside Health Authority, who have its own database, enable them to serve people by word-of-mouth; those he says who have been forgotten.
FEMA is now giving several West Side groups a complete list of all those residents affected by the flood that Brown says shows from 35 to 45 percent of his people are still in need of financial help.
Brown’s coalition is also seeking help from the mayor in finding out why Austin was flooded and other nearby communities like Oak Park were not. Having moved from Bronzeville to Austin in 2009, Brown said there have been at least five floods.
“Where is the infrastructure to make sure this community doesn’t flood again? It is interesting that other communities adjacent to us that are not low income and white do not flood,” Brown said. “Oak Park is next to Austin. It does not flood.”
