THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

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Park Ridge Assesses The Damage

By CRAIG ADAMS

Journal & Topics Reporter

The city of Park Ridge joined federal and state officials in walking door-to-door Sunday during an assessment of damage caused by the flooding of Sept. 13 and 14.

Acting Fire Chief Craig Gjelsten led a team of representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Small Business Administration.

"I took them to the areas I thought might be most affected," Gjelsten said. The team began in an area bounded by Greenwood Avenue, Western Avenue, Laverne Avenue, and Northwest Highway. They later moved to the area bounded by Dempster Street, Potter Road, and Farrell Avenue.

"A lot of people did have significant water damage, primarily in basements," Gjelsten said. "Some had limited water on the first floor."

He explained the team asked about loss of appliances and if basements were finished, and if so, if they were used for living areas. "They also asked questions about the type of insurance homeowners had. They asked if it was sewerage backup or came in through a window well."

Gjelsten also took the representatives to the area of Oakton Street and Cumberland Avenue, Cherry Street, and the 300 block of South Cumberland. He said several homes on Cherry had flooded basements, but added, "The sandbagging efforts of the residents prevented greater damage." On Cumberland, residents said, "It was pretty high in the street but it didn't come in their homes," Gjelsten related.

The team performed the preliminary damage assessment to determine if Cook County qualifies for declaration as a federal disaster area. If it does, the city and residents could be entitled to federal assistance.

Gjelsten saw mixed reactions from residents.

"While many were frustrated, many were appreciative of the city's response during the flood," he said.

Although the team was only in the city on Sunday, Gjelsten hopes to continue the assessment. "We're developing a plan to get information from as many residents as possible," he said. "It will be helpful information for the city to have." He plans to announce an information collection method soon, possibly using the city's Web site to gather the data.

He also praised the city's flood mitigation efforts of the past 20 years including the lift station, the berm, relief sewers, and the concrete wall along Dempster. However, he added, "When you have that volume of rain in that short of duration, it's going to flood."

The assessment team was in Des Plaines on Saturday and planned to visit Glenview on Monday.