In partnership with CMAP and several non-profit groups, the City of Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County, and the State of Illinois are leading a coordinated effort to build resilience to flooding and climate impacts through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) National Disaster Resilience Competition. All of the jurisdictions have been invited to submit refined proposals for on-the-ground projects for Phase 2 of the competition.
The record-breaking floods in the spring of 2013, which qualified each of the jurisdictions for the competition, resulted in substantial damages to the region's housing, infrastructure, economic competitiveness, and ecosystems. While our region has not experienced well-known mega-storms like Hurricane Katrina, this type of severe and chronic flooding has accounted for 41% of all statewide disaster losses and led to major road, rail, and utility outages, sewer overflows, health impacts, disruptions to local economies, and even deaths.
The economic, social, and ecological impacts of flooding tend to disproportionately burden already disadvantaged communities, many of which are continue to face flooding and other challenges while still recovering from flood damages that occurred years ago. The residual recovery needs from flooding highlights the need for a region-wide culture of resiliency.
Flood impacts are exacerbated by several underlying factors that are best addressed collaboratively at a regional scale. First, climate change is projected to bring about longer periods of drought between severe flash storms, increasing flood risks to the entire region. Second, most of the region's pipes, roads, and built infrastructure are aging and inadequate for accommodating current rainfall—not to mention more frequent and intense storms that will result from climatic changes. Lastly, pressures of urbanization and development are leading to more impervious surfaces, increasing the prevalence of urban flooding outside of the floodplains. In fact, over 90% of flood claims since 2007 have occurred outside of the floodplain, resulting in over $2 billion in documented damages since 2007 according to a 2015 Illinois Department of Natural Resources Urban Flooding Awareness Act study.
To address these growing issues, all four jurisdictions are developing demonstration projects that utilize a diverse toolbox of science-based solutions that can bring multiple benefits to affected communities. The demonstration projects span diverse communities from the west side of Chicago to the east branch of the DuPage River that are representative of the entire region.
Phase 2 of the competition is due in October 2015. Competition winners are expected to be announced in December 2015. Learn more about upcoming resilience planning activities happening in your area at http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/livability/sustainability/ndrc.