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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Science
- Chicago Tribune
New sensors are designed to predict flooding in Chicago
As the rain came down in sheets one summer afternoon late last month, Thomas Baranowski was sitting on the back porch of his Garfield Ridge home when his wife, Rose, stepped outside. ''Oh come on, you've got to see this,'' she told him. He followed her down the steep stairwell to their basement, where water was spewing out of their flood drain 'just like a geyser,' Baranowski, 79, recalled. Though he and Rose, 80, are lifelong Chicagoans and no strangers to urban flooding, they didn't see the deluge coming — or the thousands of dollars in water damage that followed. But what if they had been given a heads-up the rain would hit their block so hard? A new initiative recently launched in Chicago is striving to do just that. Verizon, in conjunction with Chicago's Center for Neighborhood Technology and a Michigan-based startup, is equipping the city with technology that will give officials and residents alike the ability to track urban flooding in real time. The venture, project partners say, could eventually help Chicago better respond to and mitigate the impact of flash floods — especially in areas that have historically faced the brunt of torrential rain — as human-made climate change intensifies storms in the Midwest and places pressure on the city's outdated sewer system. At the core of the initiative are wireless floodwater sensors that, using sonar technology, can calculate the depth of nearby water in seconds. The idea is to deploy a network of these sensors citywide, which together will be able to track when and where water levels are rising during a storm. To date, 10 sensors have been installed from South Deering on the Far South Side to Austin on the West Side, with 40 more due for installation over coming months. This marks only the second time in the United States that technology of this kind has been deployed on a citywide scale. The sensors are the product of Hyfi, an Ann Arbor company launched five years ago by University of Michigan engineering professor Branko Kerkez and his former doctoral student, Brandon Wong, after the pair sought to devise a technological solution to changing climate conditions, according to Wong, now CEO of the startup. From California, Wong grew up around weather extremes, from droughts and flooding to wildfires, he said, noting he still remembers days when he'd wake up to 'ash raining' from a bright orange sky. But it wasn't until he moved out to Michigan for graduate school 12 years ago and shortly after saw historic flooding kill two people and cause millions of dollars of damage in Detroit that Wong knew he wanted to find a way to temper the impact of climate disasters. Hyfi sensors can detect how high floodwaters are rising within a 30-foot radius by generating a continuous, nearly inaudible sound wave pulse on the water's surface. To detect urban flooding, sensors are placed in low-lying areas, along viaducts and under manhole covers to see where water is pooling first or backing up, down to a city's pipes. Data the sensors collect is reported to a central server, which Hyfi then visualizes in a map of real-time flood conditions. The technology is making its Chicago debut as part of a larger effort by Verizon, using Hyfi's sensor platform, to improve flood response and stormwater management systems across the country. The initiative first rolled out in New Orleans last summer and is due to launch in Detroit over the next year, according to Donna Epps, chief responsible business officer at Verizon. For now, as sensors are piloted in Chicago, water level readings won't be widely available quite yet, Wong said, but the goal is to have data live on a public-facing platform that residents can access. Wong pointed to New Orleans, where, after an initial citywide installation of 27 Hyfi sensors, the city integrated the data into its own public alert system. The sensors could give communities and first responders a warning that flooding is imminent up to an hour before it hits, Wong says. That advance notice, Wong said, could be indispensable to local residents fearful of flood damage in their homes and for avoiding streets prone to flooding. Almost every time it's rained this year, Emmanuel Garcia has noticed that water pools on the streets and sidewalks around Belmont Cragin, where the 17-year-old has lived his entire life, he said. His family has had to stay in their apartment during storms for fear of encountering dangerous roadway conditions or having their basement flood, Garcia said. Jean Flisk, 58, who grew up in Canaryville but now lives on the Southwest Side, said she 'rain preps' her basement, which frequently floods during storms. 'If they say there's a flood warning or the rain is going to be really bad, I have to go and move everything in the basement … just in case,' she said. 'It's aggravating, it's a pain. I don't know if there's something to do.' There is, Hyfi and Verizon hope. Beyond proactively reporting floods, the project's partners imagine that over time, data can help inform long-term resilience planning, they say, particularly in areas of the city that have habitually been vulnerable to significant flooding. Hyfi and Verizon are also collaborating with the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a Chicago-based urban research group, to host community meetings where residents can give their input on where and how they'd like to see sensors used. So far, the group has hosted meetings in Chatham and Belmont Cragin, two neighborhoods troubled with chronic flooding, with several more planned for this year. The meetings were held in tandem with local organizations, including the Greater Chatham Initiative on the South Side and the Grassroots Empowerment Mission and North River Commission on the Northwest Side. With these meetings and the venture overall, the broader goal is to chart a path forward where 'we systemically even stop the flooding from happening,' Center for Neighborhood Technology CEO Nina Idemudia said. 'How do we work on improving the drainage system, improving where we make capital improvements in order to make sure the water is draining?' Sensors won't reveal new insights into which parts of Chicago are hit hardest by flooding, Idemudia said, but it could draw awareness to a long-standing need. She pointed to a 2019 study by the center that found urban flooding in Chicago disproportionately affects communities of color. 'Data is another way of accountability, right?' Idemudia said. 'It's one way to say you can't deny our current circumstances or our lived experience anymore. Here's the hard data. We're going to hold you to making changes until the outlook and impact of this data changes.' Following recent rainfall, the lived impact of urban flooding has been in full view. Since Wednesday, representatives from Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications, alongside the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, have been going door to door assessing homes for damage from storms and subsequent flooding that swept through the city last month. These assessments follow disaster proclamations both Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued on Aug. 6 to assist residents in recovering from the July storms. They will help determine if and how much government assistance residents will qualify for, according to OEMC Emergency Services Manager Kaila Lariviere. Assessment teams have been directing their efforts based on a survey released a few weeks ago that gave residents the chance to self-report if they had been affected by the storms. Some 2,900 Cook County and Chicago residents reported damages, Lariviere said. Last Thursday, assessment teams spent the morning walking through Garfield Ridge on the Southwest Side. One of the surveyed homes belonged to Larry Anguiano, a husband and father whose basement flooded entirely in last month's storms, forcing his family to replace rugs, carpets and furniture in their home of the past five years, he told the Tribune. 'It was extremely quick,' he said, adding that since, he's been wary of it happening all over again. 'If there's that type of rain and you see it fill up in the streets, (you think), 'Oh no.'' The Baranowskis, who were also visited by damage assessment teams last week, echoed the sentiment. The past few weeks have been 'backbreaking' work to replace the walls and flooring of their flooded basement, Hope Baranowski said. The couple plans to install a flood control system because 'we can't have this happen again,' Thomas added. When Chicago received from 1.5 to 4.5 inches of rainfall across the city last week, according to the National Weather Service, the Baranowskis waited anxiously for the storms to pass. 'I was scared to death,' Hope Baranowski recalled.
Associated Press
12-08-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Verizon Deploys High-Tech Floodwater Sensors Across Chicago To Boost City's Disaster Resilience
Verizon What you need to know: CHICAGO, August 11, 2025 /3BL/ - Today, in partnership with Hyfi and the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Verizon launches its floodwater sensors in the city of Chicago to provide city managers, emergency preparedness officials and affected communities with a groundbreaking level of information to mitigate the catastrophic impacts of flooding. The 50 high-tech, low cost sensors, which operate on Verizon's 5G network, are distributed across flood-prone areas in Chicago, and are made possible by startup Hyfi. Hyfi's platform combines its wireless, solar-powered water level sensors and its web-based app to provide a real-time map of flood conditions in surrounding areas, informed by the sensors' observations of the water level. Use of the app also minimizes or eliminates the need for stormwater professionals or emergency responders to manually calibrate the sensor in the field or in the midst of a major weather event. Eventually, the app will also be available to local residents to monitor data in their own neighborhoods. This cutting-edge solution has led to Hyfi joining the Verizon Frontline Innovation Program as its newest partner. This program, launched in 2024, was instituted to further the design and development of response-ready solutions, like Hyfi's sensors, that help improve emergency response, preparedness, recovery or mitigation efforts in communities like Chicago. Heavy rainfall and urban flooding are recurring issues in Chicago. The city has combined sewer systems, which can overflow during major rain events and lead to basement backups and street flooding. There is a pressing need for real-time monitoring solutions, which Verizon sought to address via Hyfi's floodwater sensors and app. Community input is a vital component of the project. Verizon has worked with local partners to provide flood-disaster response education and make residents aware of the real-time data that Hyfi sensors gather . In Chicago, the Center for Neighborhood Technology is facilitating community meetings in partnership with community-based organizations including The Greater Chatham Initiative on the South Side and Grassroots Empowerment Mission and North River Commission on the Northwest Side, with several more planned for this year. Verizon rolled out the floodwater sensors in New Orleans last year, and they provided critical data during Hurricane Francine. In partnership with Hyfi, this is the first coordinated multi-city flood warning system of its kind and sensors will be deployed in additional cities over the next year. 'Flooding has been in the headlines more than ever, and the impact can be devastating, said Donna Epps, Chief Responsible Business Officer at Verizon. 'We're pleased to launch these flood sensors in Chicago and we'll continue to invest and innovate to bring game-changing technologies to communities that need it most. Verizon is committed to helping communities prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters, and these sensors are just one way we are demonstrating that commitment.' 'Chicago is leading the way in using data to tackle urban flooding head-on. We're proud to partner with Verizon and CNT to bring this technology to neighborhoods where timely information can prevent flooding from becoming a crisis,' said Brandon Wong, CEO of Hyfi. 'By delivering real-time insights into neighborhood flooding and the underlying causes, we're focused on helping crews and communities get ahead of floods—up to an hour before a flood hits.' 'Urban flooding—when the local sewer system cannot cope with the amount of rain during a storm—is getting worse as severe storms are on the rise. Plus, increased development is creating more impervious surfaces,' said Nina Idemudia, CEO of Center for Neighborhood Technology. 'Our research has found the problem is worse in places where people with fewer resources live, so we're excited to play a role in creating a new data source to help pinpoint flooding hot spots and find new ways to help communities address them.' The Center for Neighborhood Technology and Verizon are working together to educate communities to make informed decisions and stay safe in emergencies during severe weather season. Meetings have been held in Chatham and Belmont-Cragin. The public is encouraged to register for the upcoming disaster preparedness workshops. Learn more at Media contactHope Arcuri Armanus [email protected] Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Verizon
CBS News
29-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Verizon installing 50 flood sensors in Chicago to provide real-time alerts about flash flooding
Only days after intense rain flooded out streets and homes on the South and Southwest sides of Chicago, the city plans to launch a new high-tech system to warn people about flash flooding. The city, Verizon, and the Center for Neighborhood Technology are teaming up to deploy 50 flood sensors across the city to provide city officials, first responders, and residents real-time alerts via an app. The sensors will be launched in Chicago on Aug. 11, although it's unclear how soon Chicagoans could begin registering for real-time alerts on their phones about flooding. The announcement comes just days after a line of thunderstorms brought up to six inches of rain in less than two hours in the Bridgeport neighborhood and other parts of the South and Southwest sides on Friday.
