WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER, TOGETHER, WE CAN DRIVE CHANGE.

>>> THE ENTIRE CITY HAD TORRENTIAL RAIN AND RESIDENTS ON THE WEST SIDE WERE HIT HARD.

NOW, AS AUSTIN RESIDENTS ARE LOOKING AT COSTLY REPAIRS, MANY ARE ASKING, WHY SO MANY HOMES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FLOODING WHILE THE REST OF THE CITY ESCAPED THE SAME FATE JOINING US ARE AN OLDER WOMAN OF THE WESTSIDE 37th WARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NORTHWEST AUSTIN, AND A LEADER WITH THE COMMUNITY GROUP ONE SIDE RISING, AND THE COMMISSIONER OF THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF WATER MANAGEMENT.

WE INVITED THE METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT BUT THEY SAID NO REPRESENTATIVES WERE AVAILABLE.

HERE IS WHAT KEVIN FITZPATRICK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING ABOUT WHY THE WESTSIDE TOOK ON SO MUCH WATER THIS WEEK ON "CHICAGO TONIGHT."

>> THESE WEATHER PATTERNS, THE MICROBURSTS, WHERE THE RAINSTORM IS STUCK IN THIS AREA.

IN GENERAL, CHICAGO GOT THREE NUMBER TO FOUR INCHES, THE WESTSIDE, CICERO, 18.9 EDGES OVER 12 HOURS ON SUNDAY.

IT IS UNPRECEDENTED AMOUNTS.

SOMETHING VERY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH.

>> CAN YOU GIVE US A PICTURE OF WHAT PROPORTION OF HOMES FLOODED THIS WEEK IN AUSTIN?

>> I WOULD TELL YOU ALL THE HOMES.

ALL OF THEM.

EVERYWHERE I GO, STARTING WITH MY BLOCK.

WATER IN THE BASEMENT.

EVERY HOME I HAVE BEEN TO, THREE OR FOUR FEET OF WATER WHICH DESTROYED EVERYTHING.

IN OUR COMMUNITY, PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN THEIR BASEMENT.

DAY CARES THEY ARE OPERATING.

EVERYTHING IS HEARTBREAKING.

I AM EXHAUSTED.

I AM FRUSTRATED.

BUT I CONTINUE TO FIGHT UNTIL WE CAN GET SOME HELP.

WE NEED HELP.

WE CANNOT WASH OUR CLOTHES.

NOT ONLY THAT, OUR HOT WATER HEATERS ARE OUT.

IT IS NOT EASY TO REPLACE THESE THINGS.

WE NEED HELP.

>> MARTIN, YOUR HOME WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WAS FLOODED.

TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING?

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

MY HOME, JUST AS SHE WAS SAYING, THREE FEET OF WATER OR MORE.

IT CAME UP MY BASEMENT.

THE HOT WATER TANK, WASHER, DRYER, CLOTHES IN THE BASEMENT, IT HAS BEEN REALLY DIFFICULT.

IT SEEMS LIKE IT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE.

IT IS REALLY DIFFICULT.

>> THANK YOU FOR THAT.

IT IS CLEAR THAT THE FLOODING EXTENDED BEYOND AUSTIN.

STEPHEN, CAN YOU GIVE US A BREAKDOWN SO RESIDENTS HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE FLOODING OCCURRED?

>> MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE IT CAME IN FROM DOWN SOUTH.

OTHERS ARE SAYING IT WAS WATER COMING INTO THE BASEMENT.

I BELIEVE IT IS A COMBINATION.

THIS IS NOT ANYTHING THAT IS UNUSUAL.

WE HAD A FLOOD LIKE THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST IN 1997.

IT -- WE NEEDED IT.

PEOPLE WERE IN DIRE STRAITS.

ONE INDIVIDUAL IS IN HOSPICE RIGHT NOW AND LIVES IN A BASEMENT APARTMENT.

THEY HAD TO FIND ANOTHER LOCATION FOR HER TO LIVE IN.

THE DAUGHTER TAKING CARE OF HER DOES NOT HAVE TRANSPORTATION TO GO TO THE OTHER LOCATION.

THEY TRIED TO CLEAN UP WHAT THEY HAD AND MAKE A BEDROOM SANITIZED AND LIVABLE.

IT IS A TERRIBLE SITUATION WE ARE DEALING WITH.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED.

YOU SEE IT BY THE AMOUNT OF GARBAGE THAT HAS BEEN PUT OUT.

SINCE THE FIRST DAY, IT STARTED ABOUT 2:00 ON SUNDAY, ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE HAD A FLOOD OF CALLS, PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

WE HAVE SIX GARBAGE CANS FLOATING AROUND IN THE BACKYARD.

YOU CAN IMAGINE.

>> WE ARE HEARING A LOT OF WATER, SEWAGE, CLOGGING, WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER MANAGEMENT AND WHAT YOU HAVE IN SCENARIOS LIKE THIS?

>> YES.

THIS STORM WAS TRULY UNPRECEDENTED.

THE EQUIPMENT IS ABOUT 84 TO 96 INCHES OF SNOW.

THIS REGION DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO HANDLE THE EXTRAORDINARY VOLUME OF RAIN THAT CAME DOWN IN ABOUT 10 HOURS.

THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER MANAGEMENT AND THE RECLAMATION DISTRICT WORKED TOGETHER, THE WATER FLOWS FROM THE SEWER MAINS IN THE STREET TO THE RECEPTOR TUNNELS ABOUT 30 TO 45 FEET UNDERGROUND.

THEN TO LARGER TUNNELS.

ABOUT 200 FEET UNDERGROUND.

ALL OF US WORK TOGETHER TO PLAY A ROLE IN KEEPING EVERYONE -- MANAGING STORM WATER IN CHICAGO.

THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER MANAGEMENT, 311 CALLS ARE COMING IN, MOST ARE WATER IN THE STREETS AND BASEMENT, FLOODED VIADUCT, 8000 OF THOSE CAME IN.

1800 WERE IN THE WARD.

WE PUT UP ALL OF OUR RESOURCES, OUR FOOD, WE ADDRESSED EACH ONE OF THOSE 311 CALLS.

THE SEWER MAINS IN THE AREA, MAKING SURE THERE IS NO CLOG.

LOOKING AT THE TEST BASIN NEARBY.

WHAT YOU SEE IN THE STREET THAT HAS A COLLECTION SYSTEM THAT COLLECT THE STORM WATER IN THE SEWERS.

WE LOOK FOR THINGS THAT MAY BE CLOGGING, BAGS, LEAVES, AND WE MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT OUR DRAIN PROGRAM IF PEOPLE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEIR PRIVATE SEWER DRAINS.

ALL OF THAT, TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE ARE TRIAGING THE AREAS HARDEST HIT.

WE ALSO ARE DOING THIS AS A PART OF THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION, MAKING SURE THEY ARE MONITORING THE WEATHER, COORDINATING THE EFFORTS OF ALL THE CITY DEPARTMENTS.

PICKING UP DAMAGED FURNITURE.

A GOVERNMENT APPROACH IN TRYING TO HELP AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

>> A FOLLOW-UP TO SOMETHING YOU MENTIONED, THE SEWAGE DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR THE AMOUNT OF WATER RECEIVED.

FLOODING SPECIFIC TO THE WESTSIDE, WHY THAT PART OF OUR CITY WAS HIT HARDER THAN OTHER AREAS?

ARE PEOPLE DOING THE WORK TO MAKE SURE THE DRAIN PARTS ARE CLEAR?

>> SO, WE HAVE SEEN THIS IN THE LAST RAIN EVENTS.

WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, THESE ISOLATED, INTENSE STORMS.

WHEN WE MAP OUR WATER IN TERMS OF RAINFALL, IT IS A GOOD CORRELATION.

THERE WAS INTENT STORM WATER THAT FELT IN THAT AREA.

STORMS STAY IN THE AREA.

WE SAW THAT LAST SEPTEMBER.

IT STALLED OVER THE NORTH SIDE IN THAT CASE AND THAT IS WHERE WE SAW THE WATER MOSTLY.

IT IS CORRELATING TO WHERE THE STORM IS STALLING OUT.

IT IS DIFFERENT WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, WHERE A STORM MOVES ACROSS THE STATE.

>> ALTAR WOMAN, TELL US ABOUT THE RESOURCES YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR, RESIDENTS ON THE WESTSIDE, TO GET THEM HELP?

>> RIGHT NOW, I AM WORKING WITH ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS, FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO THE OMC, TO THE WATER MANAGEMENT, STREETS AND SANITATION CALLED THE COMMISSIONER 160 TIMES WITH GARBAGE, AND WE ARE NOT HALFWAY THROUGH WITH OUR CLEANING.

160 TIMES.

IT HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OVER THE LAST THREE OR FOUR DAYS.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, OEMC, TOOK THEM DOOR-TO-DOOR SO THEY COULD SEE, IN ORDER TO GATHER THE INFORMATION THEY NEEDED TO GIVE IT TO THE ILLINOIS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.

IN ORDER TO GET IT DECLARED, THE DECLARATION FOR CITIZENS.

>> I AM SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE OUT OF