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The August 16 storm was a flash flood. While severe thunderstorms were predicted, there was no way to predict the extent and intensity of the rain. This is in contrast to many disasters, such as hurricanes and river flooding, where you can anticipate a disaster long before it strikes and have damage assessment teams in place.
The storm did not leave a highly visible path of destruction. The damage was largely contained in basements and the visible damage was debris removed from basements during the following week. This is in contrast to hurricanes, river flooding, forest fires, tornados, earthquakes, and other disasters which leave highly visible paths of destruction.
The best story is not the complaints of a few individuals whom the flooding harmed. This was a major natural disaster, and there is no way to completely satisfy all the victims of the storm. A better story is how the mayor, the City of Chicago, Cook County, other municipalities, the Chicago Park District, IEMA, SBA, FEMA, aldermen, other legislators, and the impacted communities worked hard and successfully at securing the most aid possible for the victims of the flood. By far the best story is how people can now call 800-462-9029–for persons with hearing and speech impairments, (TTY) 800-462-7585–and apply for financial assistance to help them recover from this disaster.
