Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reassured residents that the city would do everything possible to help those impacted by recent floods, and Johnson urged residents to do their part to help one another in cleanup efforts.

"Sometimes you don't think about it every single day, but the memories that exist within our basements, where families gather, photos are stored, where children play, home childcare facilities or centers that exist in basements — basements in Chicago are as Chicago as everything else," Johnson said in a story by WFLD.

Johnson held a press conference on July 3, hours after storms hit, and Johnson vowed that the government would leave no stone unturned in helping those most impacted by storms get the help they need.

City officials reported that nearly 9 inches of rain fell in city and the surrounding area on July 2, setting a record for single-day rainfall and forcing the Chicago Transit Authority and Metra to shut down some train lines, as well as closing some expressways and flooded viaducts. In addition, flood waters played havoc with the inaugural NASCAR race that took place in Grant Park that weekend.

As a result of the damage, residents around town were forced to throw out furniture damaged by the flood, which then forced cleanup crews and city staffers to work overtime to deal with the mess.

In addition, a swim advisory was put in place at three Chicago area beaches around Lake Michigan, and swimming was banned at Marion Mahoney Griffin Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood due concerns about bacteria buildup in the water. Water Reclamation officials told WFLD that floodgates had been opened in an effort to help control the growing levels of water that had gotten out of control. 

One Cicero resident said every house on her block sustained massive flooding.

"The water was over the lawn, over the sidewalk, everybody’s basement was filled," she told WFLD.