Urban flooding is a growing problem nationwide as many areas are seeing heavier rain due to climate change. (Credit: Rico Löb/Adobe Stock)
Chicago is installing dozens of sensors around the city to help detect flooding and sewer backups.
The roughly 50 wireless, solar-powered sensors will use sonar technology to measure water levels and detect flooding. City managers and first responders can monitor conditions using phone and desktop apps. That data can also be used to visualize past storm events and their impact.
Residents will eventually be able to access the flood data too, via an app.
Verizon and tech startup Hyfi are providing the technology for free for one year. The city can then choose whether to pay to keep the technology, at an annual cost of about $75,000.
Chicago is the most flood-prone city in the United States, according to data from the New York Times. Climate change has brought heavier rains to the city, and aging infrastructure has been unable to keep up.
This summer Chicago and its suburbs saw multiple damaging floods that created basement back-ups for property owners and washed out roads. A large flood in the summer of 2023 damaged more than 10,000 homes and caused roughly $500 million in damage.
Urban, or pluvial, flooding, when heavy rain overwhelms cities and their sewer systems, is a growing issue nationwide. Verizon and Hyfi are planning to bring the flood sensors to more cities over the next year.
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