COMMUNITY IS MADE STRONGER.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TOGETHER WE CAN DRIVE CHANGE.

>> WEST SIDERS WERE HIT HARD BY FLOODING MORE THAN A MONTH AGO.

MORE THAN 8" OF RAIN FLOODED BASEMENTS AND RUINED PEOPLE'S BELONGINGS.

EMERGENCY RESCUE SERVICES HAVE BEEN SERVING THE DAMAGE TO SEE WHAT KIND OF RELIEF MIGHT BE AVAILABLE.

JOINING ME IS ALDERWOMAN EMMA MITTS AND STEPHEN ROBINSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN CAPITAL.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

IT STEPHEN ROBINSON, WE SPOKE WITH YOU SOMETIME AFTER THE FLOODING.

WEEKS LATER IS WHERE WE ARE NOW, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE RECOVERY?

>> I WOULD DESCRIBE IT AS A SLOW MOVING TRAIN AT THIS POINT.

THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT A FEMA HAS HIT THE GROUND.

BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THE THREE BRANCHES OF THE LEGISLATURE IN THE STATE, THE CITY, THE COUNTY, AND THE STATE COULD STILL COME FORWARD WITH FUNDS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP.

>> ALDERWOMAN MITTS, YOU HAVE BEEN OUT WITH THE STATE AND FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONS, WALK US THROUGH WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS.

>> RIGHT NOW, AS OF TODAY, THE GOVERNOR AND THE PRESIDENT SHOULD HAVE IT ALL WRAPPED UP BY FRIDAY, NEXT WEEK.

AND THEN EVERYONE WILL KNOW, MEDIA OUTLETS WILL NO THAT THEY HAVE DEFINITELY MADE THE DECLARATION.

AND TO FILE THE APPLICATION, IT WOULD BE FROM THE TIME THAT THE PRESIDENT GIVES THE DECLARATION, WE HAVE 60 DAYS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO GO TO THE LOCATION.

WE HAVE GOT TO WAIT UNTIL THEY LINEUP THE LOCATION AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO FURTHER INSTRUCT CONSTITUENTS AS TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO TO APPLY.

>> ALDERWOMAN MITTS, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN HEARING FROM NEIGHBORS IN YOUR WARD ?

>> WE HAVE HEARD THAT THE PROCESS HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT SLOW.

THEY NEED TO COME FORWARD WITH INFORMATION.

THEY NEED A PROCESS BY WHICH TO ALLOW FEMA TO COME IN.

I HEAR THE WORD PROCESS ALL THE TIME THERE.

NOW THEY HAVE THE NUMBERS.

WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO BOTH THE GOVERNOR AND THE PRESIDENT.

WE HAVE ANOTHER PROCESS THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH IN ORDER TO GO THROUGH CLAIMS.

BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT FEMA IS GOING TO BE DOING, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS , HOMEOWNERS .

THEY CALL THAT AN INDIVIDUAL APPLICATION.

AND THEN EVERYONE , THEY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, THEY WILL PROBABLY NEED TO WORK WITH THE FDA.

>> IT SOUNDS A LOT OF PROCESSES.

GG BROWN, YOU AND OTHERS ON YOUR BLOCK, YOU INTERACTED WITH FEMA WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

>> PEOPLE FELT SEEN.

IT DEFINITELY MOVES SLOW BUT I THINK THAT PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO SHARE WITH THE FEMA REPRESENTATIVES THE DEVASTATION THAT OCCURRED.

I KNOW THAT ALDERWOMAN MITTS ALONG WITH OUR FEMA REPRESENTATIVES AND A GROUP CALLED 1000 STRONG THEY ASKED IF IT WAS A SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE OR MULTI FAMILY.

HOW MUCH WATER DID YOU GET, DID YOU HAVE ELECTRICAL OUTLETS THAT WERE DAMAGE AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MOLD IN THEIR BASEMENT, BECAUSE THE PROCESS HAS MOVED SO SLOWLY.

>> THAT IS WHAT I ASKED TODAY .

WE NEED SUPPORT WITH THE CLEANUP.

WHO CAN GET THAT TO US?

AND SO.

>> THEY HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT PEOPLE DO NOT WAIT ON THE FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT TO COME THROUGH WITH WHATEVER CLEANUP FUNDING MIGHT BE DOWN THE ROAD.

BROWN AS YOU SAID, THE MOLD CAN FESTER.

>> IF YOU ARE AN 80-YEAR-OLD SENIOR AND YOU LIVE IN A BASEMENT APARTMENT, YOU CANNOT MOVE THE COUCH.

YOU UNDERSTAND ?

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CANNOT PHYSICALLY DO THIS.

I WANT TO SEND A SHOUT OUT TO THE ORGANIZERS OF THE TEAM TO GO INTO THE BASEMENT.

THAT IS RISKY BECAUSE THE MOLD HAS SETTLED.

BUT IT IS STILL NECESSARY.

IN ADDITION TO US GIVING OUT CLEANING SUPPLIES EVERY MONDAY.

WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO WHAT EVER WE CAN, TRYING TO GET THE LEADERSHIP THAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

>> DO AND SOME OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS, YOU HAVE BEEN SUPPLYING RESIDENTS WITH CLEANING SUPPLIES.

SOME RESIDENTS ARE PHYSICALLY ABLE TO START DOING THE CLEANUP.

STEPHEN, WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT PEOPLE GET OUT OF THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL RELIEF THAT IS HOPEFULLY THERE FOR YOU ALL DOWN THE ROAD?

>> I HAD A GENTLEMAN TODAY SAY THAT HIS HOT WATER TANK WENT OUT.

THAT IS PRETTY MUCH A WASH FOR HIM.

THERE HAS TO BE SOME TYPE OF TASK FORCE THAT WILL COME TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> THE ALDERMAN AND I HAD TALKED ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY.

BUT SOMETHING WILL HAVE TO BE PUT IN PLACE IN THESE HOMES TO PREVENT THE WATER FROM COMING BACK IN.

>> THIS IS NOT OUR FIRST FLOOD.

THE WATER ROSE , IT ROSE THE FIRST TIME ABOUT 2 ' , THEN IT WENT DOWN .

AND IT LEFT 4' OF WATER IN THE BASEMENT.

I WANT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THESE PEOPLE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING WITH THE HEAT, THE OCEANS ARE WARMING.

WE WILL SEE MORE THINGS HAPPENING.

I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I TALKED TO CONGRESSMAN DAVIS AND I WAS HOPING TO GET AN ANSWER FROM HIM LATER TODAY TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN WASHINGTON, D.C., SO THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT IF WE WOULD BE MOVING FASTER WITH FEMA.

WE NEED PEOPLE IN PLACE TO GO IN AND, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE FOR THEM.

THEY REALLY NEED THAT FUNDING.

>> SORRY, WE ARE FRESH OUT OF TIME, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING WE