THAT CAUSED CATASTROPHIC FLOODING ACROSS THE WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO, MANY OF THE RESIDENTS IN THOSE LARGELY LATINO AND BLACK COMMUNITIES ARE STILL DEALING WITH DAMAGE.

SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE EXPLORING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN HELP PREVENT FUTURE FLOODING.

JOINING US WITH MORE ARE A REPORTER AND RESIDENT OF CICERO, AND A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER FOR ALLIANCE OF THE SOUTHEAST .

A SOUTHEAST SIDE RESIDENT.

THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US.

YOU ARE A RESIDENT.

TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW IN CICERO DURING THE FLOODING AND HOW WIDESPREAD WAS IT ?

>> ABSOLUTELY .

IT WAS DEVASTATING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

EVERYWHERE I WENT , EVERYBODY I SPOKE WITH, EVERY TIME I WALKED TO THE ALLEYS, I COULD SEE GARBAGE PEOPLE HAD TO THROW OUT AFTER THE FLOODING .

IT WAS INCREDIBLY WIDESPREAD.

I WAS NOT AFFECTED THAT MUCH , A LITTLE FLOODING AROUND THE PORCH.

A LOT OF MY NEIGHBORS WERE.

>> THE SOUTHEAST SIDE WAS NOT AS AFFECTED BY THE STORMS AS THE WESTSIDE AND WEST SUBURBS.

BUT IT IS THE PLACE WHERE FLOODING IS COMMON AFTER MAJOR STORMS.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE COMMUNITY WITH FREQUENT STORMS LIKE THAT ?

>> IT IS A HISTORICAL ISSUE WE HAVE GOTTEN USED TO , FLOODING OF OUR BASEMENTS, WHEN RAIN RUNS OFF, WE HAVE STREAMS ON OUR ROADWAYS WHICH LEADS INTO OUR SIDEWALKS.

THERE IS A LOT OF ISSUES WITHOUT RESIDENCE LOSE VALUABLE THINGS WHEN HOUSES ARE FLOODED.

MY FAMILY HAS GONE THROUGH THAT.

ONE OF THE ISSUES IN WHERE WE LIVE, WE HAVE ISSUES WITH FLOODING.

>> YOU ADDED COMMUNITY MEETINGS LOOKING FOR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE MECHANISMS , WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING AT?

>> OUR REPORTING FOCUSED HEAVILY ON THE CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY GREEN PROGRAM.

THE PROGRAM THAT USES GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.

NATURAL SOLUTIONS TO HELP MITIGATE AND STAVE OFF FLOODING.

WE ARE WORKING ON THE PROJECT WHICH WILL HELP WORK WITH THICK CHICAGO SUBURBS , BLUE ISLAND , DALTON, TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ESTABLISH THINGS LIKE RAIN GARDENS AND OTHER GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HELPS MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THESE FLOODING ISSUES.

>> GENERALLY SPEAKING, OUR COMMUNITIES LIKE CICERO RECEPTIVE TO THE IDEA OF RAIN GARDENS ?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

ESPECIALLY AFTER THE SECOND FLOODING.

THERE WAS CATASTROPHIC FLOODING IN 2009 WHICH WAS NOT A LONG TIME AGO FOR PEOPLE STILL DEALING WITH THE DAMAGES.

PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIND PREVENTATIVE MEASURES AS OPPOSED TO OFFERING PEOPLE LOANS TO COVER THE DAMAGE , ESPECIALLY WITH ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE .

>> IT IS ABOUT PREVENTION, DEFINITELY.

FINANCIAL DAMAGES CAN BE SIGNIFICANT .

ARE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES LIKE YOURS TYPICALLY ABLE TO RECOVER FROM INSURANCE TO MAKE THEM WHOLE AFTER A FLOODING PROBLEM?

>> I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, MY EXPERIENCE IN SPEAKING WITH RESIDENTS , THEY ARE NOT MADE WHOLE.

WHAT THEY LOSE IS NEVER ASSESSED TO THE VALUE IT IS.

A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM, THEY OWN A HOME, WITH COMMUNITIES LIKE MINE, OUR HOMES ARE MORE LIKE PRISONS.

WE ARE AFFECTED BY THE SMELL , POLLUTION, WE HAVE IN-HOME POOLS.

OUR RESIDENTS ARE NEVER MADE WHOLE.

THEY NEVER FULLY RECOVER.

THAT IS THE SENSE I HAVE ALWAYS HAD.

>> ARE PLACES AROUND CHICAGO AND ELSEWHERE, WITH THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE AFTER FLOODING ?

>> THE FIRST RAIN READY CITY THAT WORKED WITH US WAS MIDLOTHIAN.

THEY WERE ABLE TO BUILD RAIN GARDENS AND WORK ON THEIR LOCAL CREEKS TO ESTABLISH RETENTION BASINS SO THAT THEIR MAJOR FLOODING ISSUES COULD BE STAVED OFF.

THEY ARE HOPING TO REPLICATE THAT IN THE COMMUNITY THEY'RE WORKING ON .

>> WILL CICERO BE ONE OF THOSE COMMUNITIES?

>> FOR NOW , IT WILL NOT BE.

WE HOPE THAT IF SUCCESSFUL , LIKE MIDLOTHIAN , WE COULD EXPAND TO OTHER COMMUNITIES IN AND AROUND THE CITY.

>> YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT EVENTUALLY ?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

AN ESTIMATED 18,000 UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.

MANY ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.

HOW DO THESE EVENTS AFFECT THEM ?

>> EXACTLY.

A LOT OF PEOPLE IN CICERO ARE UNDOCUMENTED.

A LOT OF COMPOUNDING FACTORS THAT ADD ONTO THE STRUGGLE PEOPLE IN CICERO HAVE TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER THE FLOODING.

ONE OF THOSE IS THEM BEING WORKING CLASS AND THESE ARE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGES.

THEN BEING LANGUAGE ISSUES.

A LOT OF THESE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THESE FUNDS AND DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH PROFICIENTLY ENOUGH AND HAVE TROUBLE CONTACTING THESE ORGANIZATIONS OR GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

>> I WANT TO FINISH UP WITH YOU, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, IT TAKES SOME TIME TO PUT INTO PLACE.

WHAT ARE SHORT-TERM RESOURCES COMMUNITIES WOULD LIKE TO SEE?

>> WE HAVE ADVOCATED FOR PARKWAYS AND THINGS LIKE THAT .

WE ENCOURAGE OUR RESIDENTS TO GROW ACTUAL PLANS BECAUSE IT ABSORBS MORE WATER.

WE ENCOURAGE THAT TO SEE HOW THE WATER COLLECTS .

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

OUR THANKS TO ALL OF YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>>> EARLIER THIS MONTH, A DECLARATION FOR COOK COUNTY WAS