Community

Leader of economic freedom fighters Julius Malema (black) with EFF general secretary Marshall Dlamini during an election campaign in Durban PHOTO: Thabiso Goba

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said his party was not anti-Indian.

Malema was speaking in Phoenix, Durban, on Saturday when he visited polling stations in the area.

Racial tensions in Phoenix reportedly led to the murder of 36 people during the July civil unrest.

“We have come to tell our candidate that Phoenix is ​​not a no-go area. It is a home for everyone and the EFF is not an anti-Indian organization, it is a non-racial organization. [The EFF] exists everywhere and it has no problem with Indians.

“There were a few elements that engaged in criminal activity and law enforcement needs to isolate them and deal with them decisively,” Malema said.

Phoenix was the first stop in Malema’s two-day campaign campaign in Durban, where he plans to visit eight parts of the city.

Clifford James is the EFF candidate councilor for Ward 49 of the Municipality of eThekwini, Phoenix.

EFF won six public representative seats in eThekwini in previous municipal elections.

Malema said he expects the party to do better in the 2021 municipal elections which are slated for November 1.

“People are tired. People want services … electricity, roads, jobs and those jobs should not be given to parents or to members of certain political parties, ”he said.

At the same time, Thabani Ngwira, spokesperson for the Election Commission (IEC) for KwaZulu-Natal province, said the recording of Saturday’s vote went without serious incident.

In Msunduzi, community protests were reported.

“We received a report on this, but it did not affect the registration process,” he said.

Ngwira said statistics on the number of eligible voters who registered were still being gathered at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

How it all began

How it works

Segregation training

Take care of nature

Killer Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg can hardly do his job without help from outside the state, but he managed to scribble his name at the bottom of a new official notice this week.

Obviously the firm community of “Wynstone“nestled beside the Missouri River and the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve property just west of North Sioux City wants to put up some figurative fencing and break with Jefferson Township. Arrogant secessionists and the Union County Commission disagree over the process of petitioning for such separatism. The Wynstoners are reading SDCL 8-1-8 and conclude that they can call a vote on the township split by collecting the signatures of a majority of registered voters residing in the tax haven they seek to carve out of Jefferson Township. But at a committee meeting on February 9, the county auditor and state attorney argued that the petition to call for a vote on the township split must have a majority of signatures. residents of the entire canton. The parties also disagree on the definition of residency status:

The second issue is with registered voters who do not necessarily reside in Jefferson Township. Of the 520 registered voters in the Wynstone area, Walker said at least 134 no longer reside there and should not be counted in the petition numbers. [Beth Sherard-Fennel, “A New Township for Union County?” Southern Union County Leader-Courier & Dakota Dunes/North Sioux City Times, 2021.02.12].

On February 9, the commission asked State Attorney Jerry Miller to seek formal advice from his boyfriend the Attorney General. I don’t know what the delay was, but the attorney general responded on September 15 with a fairly simple recitation of the law.

First, the Wynstoners are correct that they need to collect signatures from a majority of Wynstone residents, not a majority of residents across the Township. SDCL 8-1-8 refers to a majority of registered voters “residing in the affected parts of the affected townships”. When the law is clear, the attorney general is clear:

Undoubtedly, writes the Attorney General, the entire Jefferson Township will be affected by the proposed division. However, I conclude that the use of “affected parts” in the statutory text, in conjunction with “affected township”, limits the petition requirement to registered voters residing in the affected parts of the township of Jefferson which will be divided into the township of. Wynstone. [Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, Official Opinion 21-02: “Potential Division of Jefferson Township in Union County,” 2021.09.15].

But on the issue of residency voting, Ravnsborg remains as nebulous as South Dakota’s problematic residency vote status. It refers to the infamous Heinemeyer v. Heartland (2008) previous but simply reaffirms SDCL 12-1-4:

For the purposes of this title, the term residence designates the place where a person has established his residence and where the person, in the event of absence, intends to return.

A person who left their home and went to another state, territory or county within that state solely for temporary purposes has not changed residence.

A person is considered to have acquired a residence in any county or municipality of that state in which he actually lives, if the person does not intend to leave.

If a person moves to another State, or to one of the other territories, with the intention of making it his permanent residence, the person thus loses his residence in that State. [SDCL 12-1-4, last amended 2004].

Ravnsborg does not answer the County or the Wynstoners’ question as to whether or not the 134 registered voters who live elsewhere should count towards the petition threshold; it simply repeats the legal requirement that we determine whether these others “intend” to “return” to Wynstone at any time in the future. Currently, this return intent clause allows tax-evading RVers to get a vote in South Dakota by renting a mailbox in Sioux Falls and sleeping at a Dakota campsite. South for a few nights before resuming their wanderings across the continent.

Hmm … so if the wealthy recluse in Jefferson Township continue their secession petition, we might find them testing the law that allows tens of thousands of people outside South Dakota to maintain their electoral residences. in South Dakota. Wynstoners Torpedo Winnebagos? I can’t wait to see this title!

Another road was closed in the Kenville / Sea Cow Lake area after an overflowing manhole rendered the street nearly unusable.

It comes after the closure of Kew Road, which collapsed more than six months ago, and Kenville Road, which closed due to the construction of the Go Bus terminal in 2018.

READ ALSO : Coalition for change to fight illegal dumping

One of the residents of Sea Cow Lake Road who had to endure the “disgusting” conditions caused by the broken sewage system for nearly a week, Sayed Ismail, described the overflowing manhole problem as a perpetual problem.

“This area is turning to rubbish and rubble before our eyes. First some roads collapsed, now our streets are flooded with sewage. We have been suffering from the flooding of this road for years because of the manholes bursting. This should be something the municipality should strive to fix permanently, ”he said.

Kenville / Sea Cow Lake Taxpayers Association president Wayne Govender has said the state of the roads in the area is a death trap.

READ ALSO : Angry locals find themselves in a stalemate with ongoing road works

“As an association, we get daily calls from angry residents about our roads. Whether it’s Kew Road or the flooding on Sea Cow Lake Road. Residents are in danger on either road. No real solution is offered to residents, which causes a lot of frustration, ”said Govender.

Ward 34 councilor Dr Bobby Maharajh said, “I have been in contact with the municipality regarding the two issues and have yet to receive a favorable response so far,” Maharajh said.

Visit our sister sites for more news in the respective fields:

A Butterworth resident collects water. It has been four years since the last tap ran dry in Ward 28 of the local municipality of Mnquma. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

Four years after the last tap ran dry, a number of Eastern Cape villages that fall under the local municipality of Mnquma and get their water from the Amathole District Municipality have turned to the courts for legal aid. help after their attempts to access water hit a “wall of silence”.

It has been four years since the last tap ran dry in Ward 28 of the local municipality of Mnquma. For the moment, none of the inhabitants has access to drinking water.

Now, with the help of the Masifundise Development Trust, villagers, including a group of community leaders who were arrested during the harsh shutdown in April last year for organizing an emergency meeting on water, desperately turn to the courts.

“There is currently no chance that we will ever receive water,” said community leader Lulamile Daveyton Khetshemiya.

The village lawyers will argue that the current situation undermines the inhabitants’ right of access to water, dignity and the right to a healthy environment.

With the help of the Masifundise Development Trust, the villagers now take charge of the municipalities, the Department of Water and Sanitation and Rand Water, the body designated for the deployment of water reservoirs within the framework of the regulations. disaster management.

Khetshemiya said in court documents that the attempt to obtain a court order for emergency water supply within 15 days – and judicial oversight of the implementation of a sustainable water supply solution for the region – comes after years of repeated but unsuccessful attempts to get help.

“[W]We have made many attempts to resolve the problem without a dispute. These attempts were unsuccessful, ”Khetshemiya said.

He said when water tanks were deployed in the Eastern Cape as part of the emergency water supply program to improve sanitation at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, they received only one tank which has only been filled once.

“We are unable to take the preventive measures that could make the difference between life and death in our communities,” he said.

Ward 28 of the local municipality of Mnquma is home to 8,180 residents and some of the poorest communities in the country.

Khetshemiya said he lived in his village with his wife, three children and two grandchildren. Their only source of income is the five child allowances they receive – a total of R 2,300 per month. He added that they mainly eat the vegetables that they grow themselves.

He said his house had no running water and only a pit toilet.

The nearest water source is the Kobonqaba River, a 90-minute walk away. The nearest borehole is at the clinic, 20 km away.

“Every day the children and I walk to the river to get water. It is a long and arduous walk, especially when the weather is hot. Children carry water in five to 10 liter cans, ”Khetshemiya said.

It is the water that the family uses for drinking, cooking, bathing and growing their vegetables.

“We are generally able to collect 20 to 30 liters per day,” he added.

Khetshemiya said many elderly, frail or sick villagers cannot make the trip and their neighbors are trying to help them.

“The quality of the water is bad. There are often animal carcasses in the river. We have to boil the water before using it otherwise we get sick. However, we are never sure and can get sick even after the water has been boiled. “

Desperate villages sometimes pool their money, he said, to hire a tractor that costs between R 750 and R 1,000 to bring 2,500 liters of water to the village.

He said that in 2008 the municipality installed 22 taps in the village – they were all dry and some have since been vandalized.

Khetshemiya added that when President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster in the country, coupled with a strict lockdown, he and a few other members of the community held a meeting to discuss the water crisis.

They were arrested for breaking lockdown rules.

Among the high-profile tankers sent to the Eastern Cape, Khetshemiya said he saw only one. “In May 2020, a tank was brought to the village of Nombanjana. It was filled once. The water didn’t last a day. The tanker never came back, ”he said.

He said the villagers and many organizations that tried to help them have been in “extended engagements” with the local municipality of Mnquma and the municipality of Amathole district since March 2020.

“Many promises have been made regarding the delivery of water tanks in terms of Covid-19 regulations and an investigation into the hydraulic infrastructure of Ward 28,” he said. “Despite these promises, there has been little change.”

No new tank has arrived. The taps are still dry. Five tanks which were donated by the Al-Imdaad Foundation on condition that the municipality refill them regularly and build cement bases for them are still in the warehouses where they were delivered and were never collected.

Khetshemiya said that at a community meeting, neighborhood councilors promised residents that the tanks would be collected, installed and filled – this never happened.

“Then we found out that the Amathole District Municipality had been placed under administration,” Khetshemiya added.

He said the community had also not received any help from the Eastern Cape provincial government or the Minister of Water and Sanitation, although they could have intervened. SM / MC

Wireless Infinet ‘ Smart security and connectivity technology has been deployed in the community of Las Condes in Santiago de Chile, improving the safety of residents, the company said.

The more than 110 smart stations have strategic interconnection points for full area monitoring (squares), panic buttons, Wi-Fi and PTZ cameras for citizen safety. The community of Las Condes is a neighborhood in the northeast of Santiago, Chile, which together with Providencia and the community of Santiago embody the commercial, financial and tourist hub of the capital. Its commercial area is the most dynamic in Chile. Located between Avenida Andres Bello and the El Golf district, two large hills, Calan and Apoquindo, stand out as landmarks.

The project was designed by the Chilean company WebPCX, a key player in providing technological solutions in the smart city and public safety sector. WebPCX has developed a smart station designed to improve safety and the quality of life in the municipality of Las Condes.

The project consisted of placing Qmxb base stations on Calan Hill to interconnect the squares and the XG1000 solution to the monitoring room. Featured, an XG1000 link and 3 radio base stations with beamforming technology and 40 InfiLINK sets. The distance covered is 3 to 5 km with a capacity of 20 Mbps per station or square guaranteed. Due to the excellent performance of the wireless solutions, the project has to date hubs concentration nodes where continued growth is expected as well as the continued implementation of the Quanta family products.

What will the world be like when we come out of the pandemic? Will we have a fairer and more united world? Will there be a retreat from individualism and a demystification of the myth of meritocracy? These are some of the questions analysts, politicians, journalists and society at large have asked themselves at the start of this global pandemic.

The hope that this health crisis would become the engine of a more just world and the lessons of collective care faded as the pandemic progressed with increasing force. As the pandemic escalated, the “beggar-thy-neighbor” philosophy was adopted by most governments around the world, instead of “we’ll be better and all of us together.” Social movements had to fill the void.

After more than a year and a half in isolation, the evidence shows that the world has not changed. The pandemic deepened pre-existing social inequalities and the beneficiaries were still the same.

2020 has seen billionaires increase their wealth by $ 5,000 billion and an unprecedented increase in their numbers. Data released in January 2020 by OXFAM indicated that the richest 1% (around 2,150 people) had more wealth than 60% of the world’s population (around 4.6 billion people).

Inequality and poverty have also increased around the world, especially in Latin America. Data from The World released in June 2021 showed an additional 97 million people fell into extreme poverty by 2020.

Argentina backs off

In Argentina, the data published by INDEC at the end of March 2021 are conclusive in this regard: 42% of the population lives below the poverty line (one point more than in the second half of 2019) and 10.5% of the population is in extreme poverty (two points more compared to the same period). The aggravating factor for people living in extreme poverty is the gap between the average family income and the price of the basic food basket. This gap is steadily widening due to uncontrolled inflation. In other words, those who are below the extreme poverty line are getting poorer and poorer. This shows that the pandemic has fundamentally affected those who have the least and has deepened social inequalities.

The most affected by the crisis are young people: nearly 8.3 million girls and boys live in monetary poverty, or 62.9% of the total population of children and adolescents. And 2.4 million live in extreme poverty.

In this context, the national government, through the Ministry of Social Development, launched the “Argentina against hunger” support program for the most vulnerable sectors of society. Around 133,234 million pesos were invested in 2020, an increase of 451% from the previous year.

Thanks to the Carte Alimentar, the Council’s first measure against Hunger, around 95 million pesos have been invested across the country. From 20 AugustA total of 3,885,067 people have benefited from the Card, including 3,764,278 families with children under 14; 48,820 families with disabled children; and 71,969 pregnant people.

Program beneficiaries receive the following amounts: 6,000 pesos per month for those with one child, 9,000 for those with two children, and 12,000 for those with three or more children. Under this program, funds have also been allocated community canteens and kitchens that distribute food to vulnerable families and communities.

Another initiative of the Argentine government has been the extraordinary tax on large fortunes, intended for taxpayers whose declared income exceeds 200 million pesos. By the end of April, nearly 80% of this group had already paid this tax and the state was able to collect 223 billion pesos for the purchase of medical equipment, subsidies to SMEs, scholarships and housing programs in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Of the approximately 2,000 people who have not paid, some have gone so far as to file lawsuits calling the measure illegal and unconstitutional.

Solidarity and organization: the pillars of the food aid program

The impact of four years of neoliberal policies and restrictions due to the pandemic have prevented many from doing informal work. With the majority unable to make ends meet, the food insecure population has increased. At this point, social and community organizations – driven by the spirit of solidarity – emerged to coordinate with the state in order to improve the problems faced by the population.

Parque Lasa is a district of the city of Luján, a municipality of 120,000 inhabitants located in the west of the populated province of Buenos Aires. It is a district historically forgotten by the state.

During the most severe phase of quarantine, more than 200 meals were prepared in the neighborhood Sociedad de Fomento (a neighborhood non-profit organization that works to support the community) Monday to Friday to help families hardest hit by the economic crisis.

Juan Acotto de la Coordinadora de Trabajadores Desocupados -CTD Anibal Verón [Movement of Unemployed Workers-Anibal Verón] recalled how the organization offered to help municipal authorities when announcing the isolation measures. “While the main thing was to respect the isolation measures, we knew there would be an impact on the economy of those who lead a day-to-day existence.”

In the various food assistance spaces operating throughout the Luján region, more than 9,000 families and an estimated population of over 35,000 have been supported on a monthly basis.

The municipality coordinated with social organizations that promoted soup kitchens in the neighborhoods. Thanks to soup kitchens and snack bars, 1,600 families were helped, which equates to 6,500 people.

Juan said the human development field and the food emergency committee have called a meeting to organize the assistance system. They set up a series of neighborhood groups to work with social organizations.

“In Parque Lasa, the organization had already been operating a community kitchen for years. He added: “We made this space available and then we started working with the Sociedad de Fomento and the Centro de Atención Primaria de Salud (Primary health care center). This is how the sub-command of Parque Lasa, Americano, Barrio Universidad and El Trébol was formed.

The leader of the CTD – Anibal Verón highlighted two concepts: solidarity and organization. “Faced with this situation, there was and still is a lot of solidarity in our community. We know neighbors, comrades who, day after day, give everything to meet the challenge of hunger in such poor neighborhoods.

Elías Sosa, a resident of the community who approached Sociedad de Fomento, eager to volunteer at the community kitchen, echoed the sentiment. “These are situations where solidarity and social commitment become visible,” he said, adding that community members were among the most affected by the pandemic and the isolation measures. “Although we all go through this moment in different ways, I think what brought us together is empathy,” he said.

He expressed the wish that this time be used by the State and various social, militant and neighborhood organizations to work together and effectively contribute to responding to the problems facing populations.

The sense of abandonment felt by many communities across Argentina has shown the state the urgent need to implement measures to deal with the structural problems of the country. The solidarity of social organizations and neighborhood groups was one of the driving forces that enabled the excluded to survive.

With the pandemic far from over, the slowness of vaccination and the increasingly radicalized discourse of an unscrupulous and power-hungry political opposition make it clear that the need of the hour is to defeat the hunger that plagues the country. majority. This alone will make it possible to advance in the resolution of other pressing problems such as education and development, which could finally restore to Argentinian men and women the dignity taken away by the years of voracious neoliberalism.

World hunger is a collaborative series produced by ARG Medios, Brasil de Fato, Breakthrough News, Madaar, New Frame, Newsclick and Peoples Dispatch.

The village of Caronport has hired the special police Const. Randy Jesse – a former member of the Moose Jaw Police Department (MJPS) – will be the municipality’s new community safety officer.

Jesse has lived in the community for 11 years and recently retired from MJPS after a 34 year career with the organization. He has held various positions during his career, which the village says makes him a well-qualified candidate for this new role in the protection services.

In partnership with the Moose Jaw RCMP Detachment, Jesse’s role is expected to increase safety, security, education and law enforcement in the community, said Mayor Daniel Buck. His appointment by the Ministry of Corrections, Police and Public Safety empowers him to preserve the peace, prevent crime, enforce provincial traffic and all-terrain vehicle laws, and coordinate with the RCMP to police the community.

Jesse will also serve as a by-laws officer to help educate residents about municipal standards and ensure they are up to them.

“The community has needed a strengthened police presence for some time now, and we believe Constable Jesse’s regular patrols around the village will help resolve local security concerns,” Buck said.

The village is particularly concerned about traffic control since its streets also serve as sidewalks, while three schools also create heavy foot traffic, he continued. Jesse will work closely with the Moose Jaw RCMP to be aware of and respond quickly to any criminal activity in town.

In addition to law enforcement, Jesse will educate residents about safety, including helping children learn safe cycling habits and teaching families how to secure their homes and belongings, Buck said.

“Agent Jesse’s years of experience will be a great resource for families, businesses and schools in the community,” added the Mayor. “Agent Jesse will also be our administrative agent, with the aim of increasing the attractiveness of the community as we learn to respect the established rules so that we can live better together in community. “

The 1999 withdrawal of Indonesia and its army from East Timor finally ushered in a process of truth and reconciliation mandated by the Timorese and the United Nations. In 2005, the Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported on its findings and recommendations, but for various geopolitical reasons the report was tabled but never debated in the national parliament of Timor-Leste.

Of course, the process of truth, reconciliation and community healing did not end when UN funding for the commission ended in the mid-2000s. Centro Nacional Chega! (National Center for Remembrance) was established in 2016 in part to continue documenting the local voices, experiences and practices of everyday Timorese during the occupation. Its mandate is to preserve the history of Timor-Leste from 1974 to 1999 and to promote and promote human rights, solidarity and a culture of peace.

In rural areas, the search for the missing is underway. Countless Timorese remain missing as a result of conflict and displacement during Indonesian occupation. According to the customary beliefs of the Timorese people, while the bodies of family members cannot be found, the health and well-being of the living cannot be guaranteed.

In September 2018, I was conducting research on customary healing practices among the several ethnolinguistic groups living in the municipality of Baucau in the northeast. Accompanied by my Timorese husband, Quintiliano, and retired mental health nurse Senhor Fransisco, I traveled deep into the hinterland of Baucau to interview a local healer.

The healer, Senhor Domingos, met us at the agreed location and led us down a steep and narrow path to a house and yard full of people. Tarps were draped in a marquee at the front where many people were gathered, some eating and others working on what appeared to be carpentry. A sort of monument was being built just upstream from the house. More people were seated inside around a long table covered with a shut up a woven Timorese fabric.

We were invited to the veranda and many men quickly gathered to sit with us. All this activity made me think that someone must have died and that we had come to the beginning of a my mate uma (funeral). What an unfortunate moment to arrive for an interview, I thought.

It soon became apparent that something else was going on. Instead of a coffin, as one would expect to find in a my mate uma, many grouped materials have been neatly arranged along the table. We learned that these 23 sarongs contained the remains of the war dead from this original house. As we were shown later, each contained the actual bones – or rocks, as symbolic bones – of men, women, and children who died in the early years of the invasion.

As Indonesian troops took control of the area, many fled through the valley to the relative safety of the Matebian Mountains. Some were hunted down and killed by the Indonesian army; others died of starvation. Their bodies had never been found and buried. Until now.

After a recent consultation with nature spirits, the deceased’s family members had a bone-retrieval party and for two months followed a path through the valley and through the forests of the Matebian Range. The remains they recovered were temporarily stored in the health clinic in the mountainous village of Kelikai before being transported from the mountains to the coast and up to Mount Ariana.

As we were invited to pay homage, each sarong was carefully opened to reveal the name of the deceased inscribed on a piece of cardboard.

In two days, a Catholic priest would come home to posthumously baptize each of these people in accordance with contemporary expectations. Their individual remains would then each be “dressed” and placed in the tiny chipboard coffins that the young men were busy making under the marquee. Two days later, the community gathered in the cemetery overlooking Matebian for a full Catholic mass. A large tomb with 23 separate compartments had already been prepared.

It was a moment of palpable emotion for everyone gathered. The property was packed with people, from cripples to newborns. I could feel the powerful aura surrounding the task at hand and the determination to honor their loved ones and to rest them respectfully. The monument under construction outside the house commemorates two fallen heroes, fighters of the FALINTIL resistance movement who died in combat. For this process, they were supported by reparations available from the government sponsored Resistance Veterans Fund. But the reburial of family members, ordinary victims of war, fell to the survivors of the conflict. An original house, comprising more than 200 people, had 25 corpses to rest.

As we sat with the men on the veranda, I was struck with a wave of emotion and overwhelming sadness. I was not sure I could pass the interview. But this pain exerts its anger on the world I usually live in and which grants me great privileges.

Here we were in a blatantly impoverished community coming together to try to recover from the ravages of the war waged over 40 years ago.

My own country had secretly supported the invasion and occupation of East Timor. The weapons used by the soldiers and the bombs dropped by the planes were supplied by the American and British governments, Australia’s allies.

Now, these distant Western powers congratulate themselves on having overseen the independence of Timor-Leste and its status as a new nation-state. At the same time, they increasingly express their exasperation at the lack of Timorese “development” and capacity.

Yet those affected by these bloody campaigns continue to tap into their collective cultural capacity to try to cope with their loss and trauma and move forward in the most intimate and physically connected way possible. Their daily lives are a far cry from boards of directors where development experts seek advice on overcoming “cultural barriers” to development.

Burying these physical remains is not the end of the journey. On the contrary, it opens a way to the future. It gives the living a way to continue with their lives and allows the deceased to regain their rightful place as protectors of the living.

The original house exchanges that surround a death ritual help settle unpaid debts and close past events by creating new paths and openings. But it all takes a body to collectively cry and rest. This process had not been possible. Until now.

To the people of Chester County:

Over the past three days it has become more evident in Chester County that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. Our individual communities have come together as an incredible force to save people, care for them, and meet the needs of those whose homes, businesses and lives were devastated by Hurricane Ida. These efforts were incredible. A neighbor saves a neighbor. Family and friends open their homes to people inundated with possessions. The cleaning team accompanying us. And the donations are coming.

The people we’ve met and talked to over the past few days have the most amazing story of hope with a hero in the midst of destruction.

It points north of Phoenix Building and county to Chasford, Oxford and south. From west to east and through the heart of Coatesville and Downingtown, the remains of Aida have caused enormous damage. Sadly, we lost one in this historic storm, and our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends who loved and knew him. The actions of our first responders have been heroic, with more than 300 water rescued from vehicles, homes and businesses. We fear that more lives would have been lost without the courageous and swift response of frontline paramedics. Four of our first responders were injured during the rescue operations.

Now that the water is drained, the next phase of our community’s response begins. Help find accommodation for those who have had to evacuate their homes. Cleaning of homes, businesses, schools, playgrounds, parks and roads. Home and Business Damage Assessment. You can find important information and help at www.chesco.org/ida.

Housing assistance

If you, or someone you know, still needs housing assistance, call 2-1-1 anytime, day or night, and select 2, 2, or 1 at all prompts. Identify yourself as a flood victim. SEO assistance is a priority.

Report damage to homes and businesses

Flood damage to homes and businesses is assessed and must be reported by the municipality where the home or business is located. A damage assessment form has been created to get important initial information, which makes it easier to provide relevant damage information. Once the cleaning process has started, it is important to document everything with a photo of the damage and a repair and cleaning receipt. This form is available at www.chesco.org/ida.

Guide to Recovering After a Flood

See the Chester County Flood Recovery Guide for additional resources on post-flood cleanup.

There are many Chester County government departments that are available to help with these situations.

Our 9-1-1 center received over 4,000 calls during the storm from Wednesday to Thursday.
Our community development service helps find housing for individuals and families who still cannot return home. In some cases, this can take a while.
Before, during and after the storm, staff from the Department of Water Resources monitored the condition of the county’s four flood control dams. Together, these dams have a flood storage capacity of over 1.1 billion gallons, providing flood protection to downstream communities such as Downingtown and Coatesville.
The collective response from the Chester County community has been impressive. Cleaning crews appeared above and below the most devastated street. An organized collection of food, water, toiletries, clothing and toys. Donations etc …

We would like to thank everyone who provided time, resources and supplies to those in need. And we thank the people who organize the response. Your actions show that Chester County really cares.

Thank you so much.

Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, Michelle Kickline