Last summer, Chicago was inundated by flash flooding, and one small business owner has used the devastating experience to spread the word about preparedness.
What's happening?
In July, Mityne Lewis' home and day care center on the west side of the city took on 3 feet of water. The onset of the event was jarring, as the water was already ankle-deep and "rising fast" when they went downstairs to check on things as news outlets reported widespread flooding in the area.
"What I saw shocked me and often replays in my head to this day," Lewis wrote in Fortune last month. "... There was no time to turn on the sump pump, so I began grabbing things as quickly as I could — day care equipment, curriculum materials, rugs. Amid my frenzy, things turned from bad to worse.
"My business records, housed in cardboard boxes on the floor, began to disintegrate before my eyes. The furniture was starting to float."
Lewis and their spouse tried to salvage what they could but then realized they should get out of the water because plugged-in appliances were in that water as well. The water receded as quickly as it had risen, but supplies as well as business and tax documents were ruined and had to be discarded.
Why is this important?
Lewis was right when they wrote that historically bad floods, blazing wildfires, and unprecedented hurricanes are ravaging communities everywhere. The burning of dirty energy sources such as coal, gas, and oil is causing rising global temperatures that make extreme weather events more frequent and more intense.
This is stretching homeowners, businesses, and governments to the limit. Insurance companies are pulling out of areas all across the United States, including the wildfire-prone West but also the Midwest. That leaves people in limbo, weighing whether they can afford to remain or must move, though a home may not be sellable if it can't be insured.
"When my day care couldn't operate, parents had to stay home with their kids or scramble to find someone who could watch them," Lewis wrote. "... Many must forgo their daily wages to accommodate. It's a reminder that weather-related disasters have downstream consequences beyond the physical damage they inflict. When businesses go offline, it causes a ripple effect that significantly disrupts a community's economy long after the storm has passed."
What's being done about flood risk?
Many locales require residents to have flood insurance, but it may now be necessary even elsewhere because of rising sea levels and heavy rainfall, two more consequences of our reliance on dirty energy.
Lewis didn't have flood insurance because they didn't live and work in "a traditional flood zone" and didn't feel it was necessary. But in urging others to prepare for such unforeseen events, they noted that "every $1 invested in disaster preparedness saves $13 in damages, cleanup, and economic costs."
Lewis suggested researching grant options, including the Readiness for Resiliency Program, which helps small businesses with $5,000 grants after natural disasters. They also said to make a plan and practice that plan; other vital preparedness steps include backing up business records, putting together an emergency kit, and building a rainy day fund.
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