Chicago earmarks $5M to help 2023 West Side flooding victims

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Mayor Brandon Johnson announced additional funding for West Side flood relief on Tuesday.

The mayor was joined by city leaders on Chicago's West Side to announce an additional $5 million of funding designed to help homeowners who were impacted by last year's severe flooding.

Ald. Emma Mitts (37th), whose ward includes Austin and Humboldt Park, opened the press conference and assured residents the city was working to clear debris from the recent weather.

“Over here in Austin, we know a little something about storm-related flood damage, don’t we?” she said. “We’ve been through the storm. Well, today, we have better, brighter stories to tell.”

When Johnson was questioned about the frustration from hundreds of residents still waiting for repairs one year after the massive rainfall over the 2023 Fourth of July weekend, the mayor said his team “showed up on Day One.”

“We’re still here,” he said. “We’re not going away. We’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that every single family recovers.”

Johnson added that the flooding experienced last summer is an effect of climate change.

“That is why we are also committed to fighting for a greener, more resilient and sustainable future,” he said. “The earth is speaking to us, you all, and she is speaking to us loud and clear.”

There will be no application process for the Flood Assistance Repair Program. The Department of Housing will be working with the community to reach those in need.

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