HOW'D THEY DO?

RATE YOUR VILLAGE'S RESPONSE

Here we are, almost one week after the storm (or should "Storm" be capitalized?) Debris is still everywhere. Parkways are littered with the remnants of tree branches, basement contents, and other household items that were damaged by water. Neighbors are still swapping stories about how they fared and what they still have to do. The last of Wilmette residents had power restored Wednesday.

I attended the Wilmette Village Board meeting Tuesday (8/28/07) night in which the major topic of reports was the storm and how the Village survived. Chris Canning (Village president) commended the many Village employees who worked through the nights and weekend to get the Village back on its feet. We received support from many municipalities and, Canning noted, an extraordinary effort from ComEd.

I was looking through the Pioneer Press online version of the Wilmette Life and came across a poll requesting feedback on the Village government's reaction to the storm. Here's the link: Wilmette Life Poll. Select the link and vote.

I think the one group that will be under reported are the Village residents themselves: immediately after the first storm hit, I personally witnessed many people helping neighbors, checking on senior residents, rescuing people from cars, in general, lending a hand however they could. And this went on all weekend. As bad as the damage was/is, as hard as it was to be without power and as worried about flooding as we were, I am very proud to live in Wilmette. The people who live in Wilmette demonstrated that our sense of neighborhood is alive and well.