LETTER TO THE EDITOR

 by Henderson Yarbrough, Sr.

Mayor--Village of Maywood

These last two weekends have been challenging not only for Maywood but for all of the communities from Chicago’s west side to DuPage County that were decimated by the unprecedented flooding on July 23.  The vast majority of our residents have sustained significant losses; all municipalities have been operating 24/7 to deal with the catastrophe.  Although our work has been exhausting, it is clear that there is still much to do.

In Maywood, more than 2000 residents have filled out the data collection questionnaires.  The Village filed their first report with the County on Friday and will finalize their numbers by next Friday.  We anxiously await President Barack Obama’s federal emergency declaration.

The clean up effort continues.  We have finished our first sweep of the village, disposing of 1,200 tons of debris.  With the collaborative efforts of Allied Waste, our disposal hauler, and a cadre of Illinois YES summer student workers, we have worked long and hard helping residents with the arduous and gut-wrenching disposing of appliances, furniture, keepsakes, clothes and the like.  Many Maywood residents have lived in their homes for 40 years with nary a drop of rain.  The July 23 deluge was sudden and, in many cases, resulted in every single item in the home being destroyed. 

Amidst all of the difficulties of these past few days was the situation at 18^th Avenue and Lexington.  The Village had received calls from tenants about serious code violations at this 36-unit building including insect and rodent infestation, electrical problems, rotted porches, garbage and fire code concerns.  After floods damaged the water heaters and furnaces, immediate health and safety concerns for all mandated the village to declare the building uninhabitable and to order that all tenants vacate as soon as possible.  The village worked with the American Red Cross to ensure that tenants would have immediate assistance.  

This entire experience has been exhausting and has taxed the patience of all Maywood residents.  I applaud our residents for their resilience, for their cooperation in our efforts, and for their involvement in this whole horrific experience.  We will not only survive this together; we will once again demonstrate a unified sense of community that has sustained us in the past and will lead us to a brighter future.