Full Notification

Update: East Chicago, the weekend and last night’s storms brought a level of rain our city hasn’t experienced in a rather long time. Our city saw over 6.7 inches of rain. Regionally, downpours fell between 4 to 8 inches.
Local rainfall in our area was compounded by the intense storm hitting neighboring cities, where flood warnings were also in effect. That additional runoff added to the burden on East Chicago’s sewers and water systems. Our pumps and water treatment plant have been operating at high capacity, funneling countless gallons of stormwater through the system in just a matter of hours.
We know many of you experienced flooded streets, overwhelmed basements, and placed emergency calls as water infiltrated your homes. We understand the stress and concern this causes, especially when water seeps into your living spaces. Flooding doesn’t just affect property, it affects peace of mind, safety, and the sense of comfort we all deserve in our homes. Please know that we see the hardship this has caused, and our city will continue working to provide support and relief wherever possible.
Special thank you to our East Chicago Police Department, Fire Department and East Chicago Public Works Department their teams worked through the night to respond and assist where conditions allowed, but the sheer volume of rainfall and runoff exceeded what local systems are built to handle.
An additional special thank you to First District Councilwoman Monica Guzman Gonzalez who helped to coordinate with our office on cleanup.
•We will be working with each council member to coordinate rubbish pickup. Each district will be assigned a rubbish pickup date. In preparation, please remove rubbish and large dmamged items from your home to be removed on your assigned day.
•The city will also help residents that still have water remaining In their basements. This service will be by appointment only.
•Please contact the Santitary District at 219-391-8466.
(For assitance - ask for Alicia or Lily).
•In order for this to be declared an emergency by FEMA, the damage has to reach a certain threshold. Should it reach that threshold and we are able to obtain this support, please be sure to document your damages by taking pictures and also save reciepts for any recent purchases.
Thank you for your patience as we continue cleanup today, and please report any ongoing issues so we can keep helping.