After last summer’s severe storms, Cook County is asking for input on how to better prepare for natural disasters with a survey and a series of information sessions, including one tonight in Dolton.
Last month, the Illinois Answers Project released a series exploring why Chicago is prone to severe flooding. Reporters Meredith Newman and Alex Nitkin told the City Cast Chicago podcast what the city and county are doing to prepare.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Who is responsible for flood mitigation in Chicago?
Alex: “You have the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, which is a Cook County–wide independent government body that handles where our wastewater ends up …. Then you have the Department of Water Management, which has jurisdiction over more localized surface-level sewer pipes that the water from our houses drains into. You also have [the Office of Emergency Management and Communications], which is responsible for reacting to emergencies, and you have the Department of Transportation, which oversees the city's Green Alleys program …and in the middle of all of this, you have the newly reconstituted Department of the Environment.”
What are ways the city and county can reduce flood risk in a proactive way?
Alex: “One way we've seen MWRD at the county level try to get at this is by developing a series of what they call flood mitigation master plans for a huge swath of the South Side and the West Side. They advertise these as really deep, immense, meticulous studies on the areas with the greatest need and some options for what can be done about it. Those master plans were completed by MWRD in 2022. We asked for them, and they wouldn't release them. They say that it's privileged information.”
What are some resources people should check out?
Meredith: “For those on the West Side, the West Side Long Term Recovery Group run by Princess Shaw is a great place to start in terms of immediate need.”
Alex: “I think call your alderman, call your state rep, call your commissioner, and tell them your concerns. One way is by showing up at Metropolitan Water Reclamation District candidate forums. That's a political race that flies under the radar that we don't often think about.”
