Helping hand: Mundelein residents return to apartments after July flood

Lyudmyla Yatskovska's possessions were in white kitchen bags and assorted boxes, the Christmas tree was nowhere to be found, and protective plastic still covered sections of carpeting in her apartment at Lake Manor apartments in Mundelein.

Still, Saturday morning couldn't get any better.

Yatskovska was among the first senior residents to move back into 24 repaired and renovated apartments after being displaced in July.

For months, Yatskovska lived in a temporary apartment in Palatine, her life turned upside down by Mother Nature's ferocious downpour.

"Thank you for all the people who helped us and didn't let us down," she said Saturday morning. "Now everything is new, everything is remodeled, everything is fine."

Yatskovska said most of her neighbors had renter's insurance, but not flood insurance, and lost most, if not all, of their possessions. Moving back to the apartment she's lived in the last seven years was a wonderful Christmas present and a huge step back to normality.

"Every neighbor lost everything. The water was like this," said Yatskovska, pointing to her kneecap.

Community groups and social service groups helped Lake Manor residents after the July flood and that support continued this weekend, as National Honor Society students from nearby Mundelein High School pledged their time to assist residents move in and clean. They say they will do the same the next weekend as well.

One of Yatskovska's neighbors, John Chassin, stopped by to help but was relieved that students and other folks, such as Nancy Lech, administrator and caseworker at Fremont Township, were there.

Chassin is still waiting for work to be done on the bathroom and countertops in his unit and hopes to move in by Jan. 6.

"Hope springs eternal," Chassin said, later joking, "I'll do (the work) myself. It will be done tomorrow night."

Algirdas Rutkauskas, property engineer for the building, said most apartments needed new floors, water heaters and renovation of the bottom four feet of drywall and baseboards, which were damaged by flooding. He and building owner Ophela Henes said support from the community, village, police and other groups has been great.

"People are coming from all over to help," Rutkauskas said. "I won't rest until everybody's in, all 24 of them."

Added Henes: "We are really thankful for the township and the village."

Thomas McArthur, campus pastor at The Chapel, Mundelein, and chaplain for Mundelein police, credited Lech for coordinating relief and praised students for the enthusiasm they brought to volunteering.

While labor and construction are taken care of, McArthur said there's still another way community members can help Lake Manor residents.

"We can pray for those families," McArthur said. "Everyone needs prayer."