In the wake of the historic 2023 floods that inundated tens of thousands of homes on Chicago’s West Side, South Side, and surrounding suburbs, many residents remain without adequate assistance years later. Among them is Andre Moseley, whose Austin neighborhood home experienced severe flooding twice during that summer, leaving his basement, once a recreation room, uninhabitable and permeated by the lingering stench of sewage.

Moseley received an initial federal relief payment of $4,000 after the floods dropped eight to nine inches of rain over a short period, but the funds fell far short of covering the extensive damage. Without flood insurance, he is now awaiting promised city support to repair the basement, a program not expected to launch until 2027—four years after the disaster.

The root of the problem extends beyond the storms themselves. Climate change has contributed to increasingly intense rainfall events, while Chicago’s aging sewer infrastructure, especially in neighborhoods like Austin, struggles to manage stormwater effectively. Designed only to handle about two inches of rain, these sewers are often under-sized, deteriorated, and incapable of preventing backflow into basements. The sewer systems in Austin and neighboring West Side communities such as Belmont Cragin, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, and West Garfield Park include more than 250 miles of pipes deemed “deficient,” some nearly a century old and with diameters well below modern standards.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has recognized the issue, attributing the flooding’s severity in part to “decades of chronic and disparate underinvestment” in vulnerable communities. The city obtained over $520 million in federal funds last year to address flood-related challenges, allocating $40 million to a home repair program slated to launch next year. However, officials acknowledge that this will not be sufficient to fully meet the needs of all affected residents.

Efforts to address the problem are outlined in a comprehensive city “action plan,” which calls for upgrading sewer systems to contemporary capacity, implementing more extensive water storage solutions beneath city streets, and expanding green infrastructure such as parks, trees, and permeable surfaces to better absorb rainwater. The city also plans to study stormwater drainage patterns to improve future flood mitigation strategies.

Environmental advocates commend the administration’s recognition of the larger infrastructure deficiencies but emphasize the complexity and scale of the challenge. Meleah Geertsma, director of Clean Water and Equity at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, highlights the need for sustained investment and cooperation at all government levels to resolve long-standing infrastructure deficits. Community organizers like Princess Shaw stress that residents should not continue to suffer years after the flooding events.

In Moseley’s case, the physical damage remains visible: damaged floor tiles, marked walls bearing the evidence of two to three feet of water, and persistent odors requiring constant treatment with bleach. The broader health and economic impacts of recurrent flooding remain a pressing concern for the predominantly Black West Side neighborhoods most affected.

City officials emphasize that securing and distributing federal aid requires time and coordination. Nonetheless, with growing recognition of the link between climate change, aging infrastructure, and community vulnerability, the administration is under increasing pressure to accelerate recovery efforts and bolster resilience against future storms of similar severity.