Frequently Asked Questions

Every upcoming Community Corner is listed on our Community Events calendar, with the date, time and location. The calendar is the most reliable place to look — it updates as soon as a meeting is scheduled.

If nothing is listed near you yet, get in touch and tell us where you are. Knowing which blocks people are asking from is how we decide where to go next.

Stay out of the water until the power is off. Then photograph everything before you move it, call your insurer, and start removing water and soaked materials — mould can take hold within 24 to 48 hours. Do not use a generator or grill indoors.

In more detail. Safety first: if water is anywhere near outlets, the furnace or the electrical panel, do not step in it — shut the power off at the breaker only if you can reach it while standing dry, otherwise call ComEd or an electrician. Assume flood water is contaminated, especially if a sewer backed up: wear rubber boots and gloves, and keep children and pets out.

Document before you clean. Photograph and video every room, every damaged item and the high-water line on the walls. Insurers and assistance programmes both ask for this, and once you have thrown things out you cannot get it back. Keep receipts for anything you buy or pay for, including a hotel room.

Then dry it out. Get standing water out, pull up soaked carpet and padding, and cut away wet drywall and insulation above the water line. Run fans and a dehumidifier, and open windows when the outside air is drier. Anything porous that sat in sewage — mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpet — is usually a loss.

Call your insurer the same day, even if you are unsure you are covered. Ask them to open a claim and write down the claim number and the adjuster's name.

Usually not. A standard homeowners policy excludes flooding — rising surface water from storms or overflowing waterways. That is covered only by separate flood insurance, normally through the National Flood Insurance Program. Sewer and drain backup is a third thing again, and needs its own rider.

This catches people out every year, so it is worth checking which of the three you actually have before the next storm. A sump-pump failure or a sewer backup may be covered by a rider you can add for a modest amount, even though the flood itself would not be.

Whatever you believe you have, still report the loss. Let the insurer make the determination in writing — that letter is what other assistance programmes will ask to see.

Yes — a denial is not the end of it. Most FEMA denials are for missing paperwork rather than a real refusal, and you have 60 days from the date of the decision letter to appeal. Insurance denials can also be appealed, and Illinois has a state process if that fails.

Read the letter carefully first: it names the specific reason. The most common are an unsigned form, no proof that you own or rent the property, no proof it was your main home, or an insurance decision FEMA is still waiting on. Each of those is fixable with a document.

To appeal FEMA, write a signed letter saying what you disagree with and why, include your FEMA application number on every page, attach the missing documents, and send it within 60 days — through your disasterassistance.gov account, or by mail or fax as the letter instructs.

For an insurance denial, ask for the reason in writing with the policy language it relies on, then submit a written appeal with your photographs and receipts. If you are still stuck, the Illinois Department of Insurance takes consumer complaints and can intervene.

And if you have hit a wall with both, get in touch. We may not be able to replace what was lost, but we can help you work out who else in the Southland might be able to help.

Your village or city public works department handles street flooding, blocked storm drains and problems in the public sewer main. Call them first — and call while it is happening, because they need to see it.

If the backup is on your side of the property line it is usually the homeowner's responsibility, but the village can often tell you which it is. Report it either way: a pattern of calls from one block is what gets a drainage problem taken seriously and budgeted for.

For a life-threatening emergency — water rising fast, an electrical hazard, or a gas smell — call 911. For downed power lines or to shut off power safely, call ComEd at 1-800-334-7661.

Start with our Community Resources directory. It lists services across the Southland — food, clothing, housing, employment, health, legal help and more — with contact details for each, and it is free to search with no account needed.

Our own Community Pantry and Community Closet are open at scheduled times, which are listed on the Community Events calendar. If you cannot find what you need in the directory, contact us and tell us what you are looking for — we will help you track it down.

Create an account on the site and tick the volunteer option — that puts you on the list and lets us contact you when something suits your skills or your schedule.

You do not need experience or a long-term commitment. Plenty of people start by giving one afternoon to a pantry or a clean-up and go from there.

LiveUp Network is a community organisation serving Park Forest and the wider Chicago Southland. We connect neighbours with the resources, events and opportunities that help a community thrive — through Community Center Days, Community Corner, the Community Closet, the Community Pantry and Community Housing.

Everything we run is built around one idea: putting unity back in community. If you need something, we will help you find it. If you have something to give, we will help you give it.

We are based in Park Forest and work across the Chicago Southland — the communities south of Chicago in southern Cook and eastern Will counties.

Our Community Resources directory lists services across the Southland, and it is open to anyone, wherever you live. If you are not sure whether we can help with something specific, ask us and we will point you in the right direction even if the answer is somebody other than us.

Five: Community Center Days (life skills and knowledge, in person and online, across our 20 Life Resource Categories); Community Corner (a safe space to connect with essential resources); the Community Closet (free clothing and everyday essentials); the Community Pantry (a pop-up pantry you can shop for free); and Community Housing (rehabbing homes across the Southland).

You can read more about each on our Community Projects page, and see what is coming up on the Community Events calendar.