Strengthening Transit Through Community Partnerships
Big rainstorms are hitting Illinois more often. In many cities and towns, the sewers can’t always handle heavy downpours. Without anywhere to go, the water fills streets, yards and basements.The result? At least $2.3 billion in damage from 2007 to 2014. That’s the total that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources calculated in a report this summer, tallying up insurance payouts for flooding damage in the state’s urban areas.
“We should be recalculating the percentages — because they’re changing,” says Hal Sprague, water policy manager for the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a Chicago-based nonprofit that promotes sustainable urban communities.