Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania’s Columns
  • Advertise
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • Midnight Flight Book
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Seniors
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Two Guys on Politics Podcast: A Centrist View on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • The Arab street Podcast
  • Submit a Press Release
  • Toggle search form
  • Congressman Sean Casten
    Illinois AFL-CIO Endorses Sean Casten for Re-Election Cook County
  • Patricia Joan Murphy Worth Township Supervisor
    Worth Township Foundation hosts First Annual Golf Outing Sept. 30 Cook County
  • Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) Wednesday (August 10, 2022 visited Rick and Corey Johnson’s Farm in Monee, IL and held a ‘Barn Hall’ with farmers, growers and food security advocates from the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Soybean Association, Greater Chicago Food Depository and the USDA Office of Rural Development.
    Rep. Kelly Hosts ‘Barn Hall’ Conversation with Farmers and Food Security Advocates Federal
  • Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and his wife
    Pritzker lives in glass house of money and hypocrisy Blogger
  • Orland Park Trustee Dan Calandriello at a Village of Orland Park Board meeting.
    Candidate Calandriello announces “Biking the 17th” to raise awareness for Cook County Forest Preserves Cook County
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium Cook County
  • Piano. Photo by Dolo Iglesias on Unsplash
    Too old to rock? Elton John, in town tonight, turning back the clock Blogger
  • President George W. Bush walks across the tarmac with NFO Lt. Ryan Phillips to Navy One, an S-3B Viking jet, at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Thursday, May 1, 2003. Flying to the USS Abraham Lincoln, the President addressed the nation and declared "Mission accomplished" in Iraq to justify diverting forces from Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Right from the Middle: Can we win the war in Ukraine? Bill Lipinski
  • Congresswoman Marie Newman, 3rd District Illinois
    Kelly, Foster, Newman among those voting to pass Assault Weapons Ban Act Crime
  • Hanania newspaper column on Pritzker pushing for Democratic National COnvention
    Pritzker push for Democratic National Convention could backfire Blogger
  • Fire Truck, Fire District. Photo courtesy of the Orland Fire Protection District
    Orland Fire District will maintain “all services” despite delayed county tax collections Cook County
  • Mike Porfirio, Democrat endorsed candidate for 11th Senate District
    Porfirio urges “full investigation” into reported racist rant of local official Cook County
  • New Lenox offers Free CERT training
    New Lenox offers free Disaster Preparedness Training to residents Government
  • Patricia Joan Murphy Worth Township Supervisor
    Partnership Will Offer Economic Development and Employment Support in South Suburbs  Business
  • USO barbecue for the troops 2022
    USO hosts Barbecue for the Troops July 23, 2022 Cook County

Floods Bring Tragedy Beyond Any Tragedies

Posted on July 27, 2011November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Floods Bring Tragedy Beyond Any Tragedies
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Floods Bring Tragedy Beyond Any Tragedies
By RAY HANANIA — Southwest News-Herald — Fires usually destroy a home. Floods ravage entire neighborhoods and destroy far more lives. This past week we witnessed a series of floods that hit communities from Orland Park to Des Plaines. The floods had much to do with the heavy, record rains — nine inches in July alone, a new record, they said.

Who’s responsible for floods? It’s the question everyone asks because most people do not protect themselves against flooding. One reason is that once a region floods, it floods repeatedly. So you can purchase flood insurance, but then that quickly increases to unreachable insurance premium costs.

Is there an answer to the flooding?

Homeowners need to do a better job of preparing for floods. No one believes it will hit them until they are standing there dazed, looking at the havoc a flood created out of their home. And once it has happened, it’s too late and you live in fear every time it rains.

Basic things you can do: don’t use wood chips to decorate your lawn or garden. During rains, the wood chips float and then dam up, blocking water flow causing flooding.

Clean and rake your lawn. Most floods get worse because of debris that accumulates on a property and then creates a dam that blocks water flow and causes the floods to rise more quickly.

Make sure your rain pipes are clear. Put extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from your property to the street. Many people have under ground plastic tunnels dug to direct water to the front of their homes or “downhill” away from their property. It’s inexpensive and worth it.

Check the sewer caps on your street. Make sure they are not covered. Debris is the worst enemy during rains for homes. Don’t let it accumulate.

The number one thing you can do though is to vote out of office every board member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. This is one of the most useful government agencies we have. Their number one priority is to manage rainwater run-off and they don’t do a very good job.

But they sure know how to spend money on themselves, paying for lavish lunches and dinners at the taxpayer expense. And they are the first ones to duck and dodge public responsibility.

Call them when it floods in your neighborhood and what’s their response: “The sewer systems in your community are deteriorating and causing the floods.”

That’s an outright lie, of course. The dynamics of physics directly applies to water. Flooding caused by a broken sewer will impact a street or a block or more.

The real problem is that water settles and has no municipal boundaries. It drains in a network through many neighborhoods and communities. The MWRD-GC manages the so-called Deep Tunnel. But too often, the Deep Tunnel fills up with water too quickly and the rain water has no place to go.

Rather than tell you that, and then assume the blame, the MWRD-GC would prefer to lie and blame it on the local communities because, well, the Water Reclamation District officials think you are stupid. Their excuse sounds more plausible than the real reason that the Reclamation District isn’t doing its job because they know that most people don’t even know what the Reclamation District does.

Until you take the time to find out, and to put pressure on the District’s lame officials, flooding will continue to hammer your homes and properties every time it rains because the water has no place to go, good sewers or not.

# # #

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Illinois AFL-CIO Endorses Sean Casten for Re-Election - August 15, 2022
  • Worth Township Foundation hosts First Annual Golf Outing Sept. 30 - August 15, 2022
  • Sheriff Dart Warns Public of Spike in Thefts of Kia & Hyundai Vehicles - August 12, 2022
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Features, General Topics, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:flooding, homes, Water Reclamation District

Post navigation

Previous Post: Gorman attacked by critics jealous of her leadership
Next Post: Harry ‘Bus’ Yourell Was a Fighter to End

Related Posts

  • Chicago Alderwoman Pat Dowell, 3rd Ward
    Illinois Secretary of State’s race heats up as candidates begin campaigns Chicago
  • Front Page of the New York Times, photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Desperate news media turns to scams to profit Baby Boomers
  • Cannabis plant (marijuana). Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    I promise, I didn’t write this column high on the Ganja Blogger
  • Ian Conyers, a former Michigan legislator and nephew of longtime Congressman John Conyers. Photo courtesy of Ian Conyers.
    Podcast: John Conyers’ nephew endorses Brenda Jones over Rashida Tlaib elections
  • Cristina Nonato, Philipine American Activists, candidate for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) in the March 15, 2022 Democratic Primary election
    More endorsements for Nonato for Water Reclamation District Cook County
  • Midnight Flight: Chapter 5 — Black is Bad Baby Boomers

More Related Articles

a proposed development at 4600 N Marine Drive, Chicago opposed by local neighbor associations LakeView Towers Association members protest exclusion from 46th Ward public meeting Chicago
Chicago Wolves lose to Toronto Marlies in overtime at AllState Arena Nov. 14, 2021 Stockton blunts Chicago Wolves victory run Chicago
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas with elected officials and Arab community leaders at the Arab American Heritage celebration at Oozi Restaurant April 10, 2019. Photo courtesy of Anthony Caciopo Pappas: See Your New Property Tax Bill at cookcountytreasurer.com Chicago
Midnight Flight: Chapter 3 — A Beautiful, Idyllic Community Baby Boomers
Police Squad Car, courtesy of Wikipedia Bond set at $100,000 for Villa Park woman charged with Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse breaking news
Chicago Alderwoman Pat Dowell, 3rd Ward Illinois Secretary of State’s race heats up as candidates begin campaigns Chicago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and his wife
    Pritzker lives in glass house of money and hypocrisy
    August 11, 2022
  • Piano. Photo by Dolo Iglesias on Unsplash
    Too old to rock? Elton John, in town tonight, turning back the clock
    August 5, 2022
  • President George W. Bush walks across the tarmac with NFO Lt. Ryan Phillips to Navy One, an S-3B Viking jet, at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Thursday, May 1, 2003. Flying to the USS Abraham Lincoln, the President addressed the nation and declared "Mission accomplished" in Iraq to justify diverting forces from Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Right from the Middle: Can we win the war in Ukraine?
    August 3, 2022
  • 17t year old Hadi Abuatelah runs after Oak Lawn police stopped the vehicle he was in asking him to leave a suspicious looking bag in the back seat. Instead, Abuatelah took the bag and tried to run but was caught and beaten to force him to let go of the bag
    Arabs and Muslims wrongly rush to judgment in Oak Lawn police beating of teenager
    August 3, 2022
  • Hanania newspaper column on Pritzker pushing for Democratic National COnvention
    Pritzker push for Democratic National Convention could backfire
    July 29, 2022
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Tough punishment needed in wake of Danny Golden shooting
    July 20, 2022

Subscribe

  • Ray-Hanania-Newsletter-300-wide-Banner.jpg

Trending

  • car crashed through the front window of CosmoProf at 9109 W. 151st Street in Orland Park on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 11:45 AM. Vehicle crashes into Orla... Vehicle crashes into Orland Park cosmetic store front A car crashed throug... posted on July 19, 2022
  • Stolen vehicle recovered... Stolen vehicle recovered, offender arrested in Orland Park car theft On Fr... posted on July 18, 2022
  • Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and his wife Pritzker lives in glass h... Pritzker lives in glass house of money and hypocrisy Illinois Governor J.B... posted on August 11, 2022
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash Tough punishment needed i... Tough punishment needed in wake of Danny Golden shooting Society must dema... posted on July 20, 2022
  • Police Squad Car, courtesy of Wikipedia Two passengers killed in... Two passengers killed in car-semi collision in Bridgeview Bridgeview Polic... posted on July 16, 2022
  • NEWS
  • Congressman Sean Casten
    Illinois AFL-CIO Endorses Sean Casten for Re-Election
    August 15, 2022
  • Patricia Joan Murphy Worth Township Supervisor
    Worth Township Foundation hosts First Annual Golf Outing Sept. 30
    August 15, 2022
  • Cook County Sherif Tom Dart
    Sheriff Dart Warns Public of Spike in Thefts of Kia & Hyundai Vehicles
    August 12, 2022
  • Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) Wednesday (August 10, 2022 visited Rick and Corey Johnson’s Farm in Monee, IL and held a ‘Barn Hall’ with farmers, growers and food security advocates from the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Soybean Association, Greater Chicago Food Depository and the USDA Office of Rural Development.
    Rep. Kelly Hosts ‘Barn Hall’ Conversation with Farmers and Food Security Advocates
    August 11, 2022
  • Hastings files lawsuit against Frankfort police after politicized domestic violence report released
    August 10, 2022
  • Orland Park Trustee Dan Calandriello at a Village of Orland Park Board meeting.
    Candidate Calandriello announces “Biking the 17th” to raise awareness for Cook County Forest Preserves
    August 10, 2022
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

The Political Pundit

Political Pundit Aug. 24, 2021. Taliban thanks president for boxes of MAGA hats
  • WORD PRESS REVIEWS
  • MyCloud by Western Digital, a hard drive that doesn't last. Don't purchase Western Digital.
    Western Digital tubes its loyal customers for profit
    October 17, 2021
  • Macho Themes website front page. Don't buy their themes. They don't work
    Difficulties with Macho Themes for WordPress
    August 21, 2021
  • TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS
  • TikTok Screen shot
    TikTok generates nearly $4 billion in consumer spending
    July 21, 2022
  • Netflix is the best streaming service, despite drop in stock price
    April 20, 2022
  • Book Cover "Laptop from Hell" by Miranda Devince
    Questions remain unanswered about Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukraine
    February 20, 2022

Follow Ray Hanania at
Gab.com, MeWe.com
IDobbinate.com,
Twitter, Facebook

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

What We’re Reading

Arab News Newspaper Leading English Language Publication in the GulfArab News Newspaper

Ray Hanania on Politics
SW News Newspaper Group

  • SPORTS
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium
    August 7, 2022
  • Stefan Noesen, Chicago Wolves
    Chicago Wolves Noesen wins President’s Award
    July 22, 2022
  • SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview
    Chicago Fire sets dates for “home games” at SeatGeek Stadium because of date conflicts with Soldier Field and Bears
    July 22, 2022
  • Chicago Wolves celebrate Calder Cup Championship 2022. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Wolves
    Calder Cup Champions Chicago Wolves sign two veterans forwards
    July 18, 2022
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Hastings files lawsuit against Frankfort police after politicized domestic violence report released
    August 10, 2022
  • Senior Care Home, eberhard 🖐 grossgasteiger on social or copy the text below to attribute.
    Nursing Home Violations for First Quarter of 2022
    June 7, 2022
  • John B. Schulz, 36, of the 7400 block of Brookside Drive in Hanover Park
    Hanover Park Man Charged with Multiple Felonies After Attempt to Meet Minor for Sex
    May 27, 2022
  • State Rep Fran Hurley 35th district
    Hurley-led Measure to Support Families of Fallen First Responders Signed by Governor
    May 24, 2022
  • Orland Township hosts Job Fair
    Orland Township events: Walk & Talk program, and Summer Job Fair
    May 17, 2022
Two Guys on PoliticsTwo Guys on Politics

John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • Patricia Joan Murphy Worth Township Supervisor
    Partnership Will Offer Economic Development and Employment Support in South Suburbs 
    July 25, 2022
  • TikTok Screen shot
    TikTok generates nearly $4 billion in consumer spending
    July 21, 2022
  • Agave Cocina and Tequila Bar at 6050 W. 159th Street on Oak Forest, Illinois
    Restaurant Review: Agave Cocina in Oak Forest
    July 10, 2022
  • Congresswoman Marie Newman, 3rd District Illinois
    House passes two bills sponsored by Congresswoman Newman to support small businesses and strengthen trade
    June 9, 2022
Click this link to watch or use the widget below:

Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.
Email Ray Hanania for more information about performing at your event at rghanania@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme