Chicago flooding is stark reminder of vulnerability of major cities during extreme weather

By TODD RICHMOND and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press

Heavy rains flooding Chicago neighborhoods and cancelling NASCAR street races serve as stark reminders of the vulnerability of urban centers during extreme weather events. City officials say as much as 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain fell on the city Sunday, wreaking havoc on some streets and pushing as much as three feet (1 meter) of water into basements. The weather has forced NASCAR to cancel an Xfinity Series race through the city’s downtown. City officials say their flood mitigation plans worked, but scientists say urban centers in the U.S. need to adopt new strategies for dealing with catastrophic weather events intensified by climate change.