Communities in Illinois will receive a portion of $12 billion in federal disaster recovery funds for severe storms and flooding over the last two years, including $426 million for Chicago, $244 million for Cook County, $96 million for the town of Cicero and $89 million for St. Clair County. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Tuesday it would distribute Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery assistance, using resources from the 2025 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, across 47 grantees in two dozen U.S. states and territories. The money is meant to address gaps in disaster recovery and mitigation funding that may not be covered by insurance or other federal and local sources. On Wednesday, Illinois leaders joined HUD senior official Marion McFadden to discuss the announcement at a news conference in Austin — the West Side neighborhood where most 311 calls for basement flooding originated during heavy rains in early July 2023. That was one of many historical rain events the Chicago area has experienced in recent years, which low-income communities of color have often suffered the brunt of, particularly in July and September 2023, and in July 2024. Related Articles Environment | Imperiled wetlands save the Midwest billions in flood damage costs, study shows, but they’re disappearing Environment | Drought that affected Illinois, other states was most expensive billion-dollar disaster in 2023, but extreme cold can be costly in other ways Environment | Costly Deep Tunnel flooding project can’t handle Chicago area’s severe storms fueled by climate change “I’m really thrilled that we can be starting off this new year on a high note, as we think about disaster recovery and build resilience in the region,” said McFadden, principal deputy assistant secretary for community planning and development at HUD. “There is truly never a time when people need the government more than when their homes and schools and businesses have been wrecked by terrible natural disasters.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information had recorded that, as of November, Illinois experienced 11 disasters in 2024, mostly severe storms. The state incurred over $3.9 billion in damages — making it the fourth costliest year to date after 2012, 1993 and 2023. At the news conference Wednesday, Mayor Brandon Johnson recalled the damage wreaked by the July rains in 2023 on the West Side, during which residents sent him photos of their flooded basements over text. “In neighborhoods that are already deeply impacted by systemic disinvestment, losing modes of transportation and stability … can be even more devastating,” Johnson said. “So, while the city of Chicago cannot replace any of those precious items that were lost, we went right to work. … Because it was not just the damage to property, but to memories.” Once the flooding was declared a federal disaster, the federal government provided the city with over $172 million to assist with home repairs, low-cost loans and other recovery efforts. A year after devastating floods, West Side residents are still dealing with damage and expensive repairs McFadden said most Americans might think about the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the only way the U.S. government “shows up for disasters.” While FEMA might be the first federal agency on the scene, she said, it’s limited in its ability to provide long-term help for individual families, which is where HUD’s disaster recovery funds come in. “They are, in fact, the only large federal funding source dedicated to assisting low and moderate-income people in low and moderate-income communities,” she said. “I have seen, time and time again, that an influx of these dollars makes a huge difference in people’s lives.” Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneShirley Howard stands in her flooded basement in the 800 block of North Lockwood Avenue on July 2, 2023, in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneA downed utility pole and wires lies near Flagg Creek Drive and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneInsulation and debris clings to trees near Flagg Creek Drive and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage near Flagg Creek Drive and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneA large tree lies on the ground near Wolf Road and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneThe Skyline Motel in the suburban town of McCook shows damage on July 13, 2023.H. Rick Bamman/H. Rick Bamman / For the Chicago TribuneA representative of First Priority Restoration, left, speaks on July 13, 2023 with residents of the 2800 block Stoney Creek Court in the Edgewater by Del Webb community after a possible tornado swept through the previous day.H. Rick Bamman/H. Rick Bamman / For the ChicagoA crew from Premier Group Roofing secures a tarp on the home of Carly Topel on Sweet Clover Court in Elgin on July 13, 2023.H. Rick Bamman/H. Rick Bamman / For the ChicagoElgin resident Carli Topel sweeps insulation from her porch after a suspected tornado uprooted trees and damaged her home on Sweet Clover Court in Elgin on July 13, 2023.H. Rick Bamman/H. Rick Bamman / For the Chicago TribuneElgin resident Laurel Vietzen walks past debris from the Edgewater by Del Webb community along Longcommon Parkway in Elgin on July 13, 2023. A suspected tornado touchdown in the area damaged homes on Stoney Creek Drive. Vietzen said she was amazed at the damage, that she lived three blocks away and the storm didn't even move her garbage cans.H. Rick Bamman/H. Rick Bamman / For the ChicagoAn Elgin public works crew removes debris from Sweet Clover Court on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Wolf Road and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Wolf Road and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Wolf Road and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Wolf Road and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage in the area of Wolf Road and 73rd Street in the suburban village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Wolf Road between 72nd and 73rd streets in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Flagg Creek Drive in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage in the area of Wolf Road between 72nd and 73rd Streets in the suburban village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Flagg Creek Drive in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneStorm damage is seen near Flagg Creek Drive in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023.Chris Sweda/Chicago TribuneA fisherman walks off the Montrose Beach pier to take shelter as tornado sirens go off in Chicago on July 12, 2023.Chris Sweda/Chicago TribuneCumulus clouds lit by the setting sun are seen above the Chicago skyline after strong storms rolled through the area on July 12, 2023.Trent Sprague/Chicago TribuneWorkers clear downed tree branches in Stickney after storms hit on July 12, 2023.Trent Sprague/Chicago TribuneA broken laptop lies in a yard along Maple Avenue in Stickney on July 12, 2023.Chris Sweda/Chicago TribuneA rainbow is seen over Lake Michigan from Montrose Harbor in Chicago as strong storms move through the area on July 12, 2023.Chris Sweda/Chicago TribunePeople take shelter near Montrose Harbor as tornado sirens go off in Chicago, July 12, 2023.Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago TribuneA jogger runs through soggy Bartelme Park in the West Loop on July 11, 2023.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneFlood-damaged furniture and household items are brought to a Cicero Public Works truck by Jamie Navarrete and Branden Hernandez in the 2500 block of South 57th Avenue in Cicero, July 6, 2023, following more heavy rains.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneCicero Public Works employees Branden Hernandez and Jamie Navarrete toss flood-damaged goods, rugs and even Christmas decorations into the garbage truck as they make their way down an alley in the 2500 block of South 57th Avenue in Cicero, July 6, 2023.John J. Kim/Chicago TribuneA concertgoer shelters under an umbrella as heavy rain falls during a Grant Park Music Festival performance at Jay Pritzker Pavilion on July 5, 2023.John J. Kim/Chicago TribuneA couple walks through a puddle to reach the Cloud Gate sculpture during a storm at Chicago's Millennium Park on July 5, 2023.Terrence Antonio James/Chicago TribuneClouds roll in over Willis Tower and downtown Chicago before a downpour soaks the area on July 5, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribunePatricia Medina wipes away sweat as she cleans her flood-damaged apartment in the 1900 block of South 51st Court on July 3, 2023, in Cicero. Looking on is 7-year-old Mariajose Pama Serna.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneYessenia Bahena, left, and her cousin, Maribel Ibarra, assess flood damage at their rental property in the 1900 block of South 51st Court on July 3, 2023, in Cicero. The cousins, who own rental properties together, said the basement unit sustained damage to the water heater, appliances, drywall and base boards from the flooding. They estimated the damage at around $6,000.Brian Cassella/Chicago TribuneMayor Brandon Johnson talks to Evelyn Holoman about flooding in her basement as she shares pictures of damage to her daughter's business in Chicago's Austin neighborhood on July 3, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneXimena Visquiz, 4, brings out a rainboot to dry outside following the flooding of her parents' apartment in Cicero on July 3, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneYessenia Bahena, left, tries to clear a sewer line while her cousin, Maribel Ibarra, looks on at a home they are selling in Cicero on July 3, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribunePatricia Medina cleans her flood-damaged apartment in the 1900 block of South 51st Court on July 3, 2023, in Cicero.Trent Sprague/Chicago TribuneMayor Brandon Johnson, second from left, tours an alley in the Austin neighborhood on July 3, 2023, after heavy rains caused flooding in the area over the weekend.Trent Sprague/Chicago TribuneMayor Brandon Johnson speaks with residents in the Austin neighborhood on July 3, 2023, about flooding over the weekend.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneDrivers go the wrong direction in an attempt to avoid a closure due to flooding near Harlem Avenue along westbound I-290 Eisenhower Expressway on July 2, 2023, in Oak Park.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneHector Moreno, left, and Raul Cruz walk along Chicago Avenue near Kilbourn Avenue in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood on July 2, 2023. They got off a stranded CTA train and decided to walk home.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA tow truck driver, left, collects a stranded vehicle in deep water on Chicago Avenue near Kilbourn Avenue in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood on July 2, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneEdie Jacobs, 76, surveys her flooded basement in the 900 block of North Lockwood Avenue on July 2, 2023, in Chicago. She has lived in this house for 46 years and is the president of her neighborhood block club.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneWorkers from Chicago's Water Management Department work in a downpour to fix flooded streets along South Pulaski Road, July 2, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneVehicles are trapped under a flooded railroad bridge along Cicero Avenue near Kinzie Street on July 2, 2023, in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA gym shoe floats in Shirley Howard's flooded basement in the 800 block of Chicago's North Lockwood Avenue on July 2, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneVehicles drive through deep water on Chicago Avenue near Kilbourn Avenue in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood on July 2, 2023.Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneVehicles struggle to make it through flooded streets near Oak Park and North avenues on July 2, 2023, in Chicago.Antonio Perez/Chicago TribuneBrian Patel, owner of the Skyline Motel in the suburban town of McCook for the past 30 years, surveys storm damage in one of the motel rooms on July 13, 2023.Show CaptionStacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune1 of 51Shirley Howard stands in her flooded basement in the 800 block of North Lockwood Avenue on July 2, 2023, in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.Expand This type of funding can be used to replace damaged affordable housing and rebuild it in more climate-resilient ways; strengthen public infrastructure and facilities such as roads and water systems; support small businesses, create jobs and assist residents; and implement mitigation measures that reduce risks of future damage from weather disasters. According to HUD, the total allocation amount for each community was determined using a formula that considers an estimate of unmet needs for housing, economic revitalization and infrastructure, with an additional 15% for mitigation activities. “We know, as large as these sums are, they’re not going to pay for everything,” McFadden said. “So choices are going to have to be made. The next step for all of these jurisdictions is a planning process where everyone’s invited to weigh in and shape the priorities of how the funds should be used.” The scale of HUD’s award will be “transformational” in safeguarding communities against future disasters, said Ted Berger, executive director for the Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security which supports 134 suburban municipalities. Before 2023, the county had not issued a major disaster declaration for severe weather in over a decade, according to Berger. “Yet in the last 18 months, Cook County has experienced three,” he said. “This illustrates how a changing climate truly impacts the lives of our residents, and it also demonstrates the genuine need to make investments.” National climate report identifies lack of equity and flooding risks, issues that hit close to home in Illinois From the predominantly Hispanic west suburb of Cicero — which in July 2023 received a historic and destructive 8.6 inches of rain — Tom Tomschin, executive director of the town’s Department of Housing, said he was speechless when he found out about the HUD funds. “We’ve been saying, over and over again: This is not just a Cicero problem, this is a regional problem,” Tomschin said, referring to the regional combined sewer system that is quickly overwhelmed when rainfall exceeds two-thirds of an inch. “These torrential rainfalls are happening more and more. We’ve got to figure out a way to prevent it from happening in the future, and this $96 million should go a long way in the right direction.” Johnson echoed the need for regional climate resilience. “The Earth is speaking to us — loud. For those who are still in denial of the climate change that is occurring, look no further than the West Side of the city of Chicago,” Johnson said. [email protected]