February 10, 2020 – Mayor Lori Lightfoot is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance with repairing damage to Lake Michigan shoreline estimated at more than $25 million.

Lightfoot wants FEMA to provide resources and funding.

Severe weather on January 10-11 caused major damage along 30 miles of shoreline, including beaches, recreational areas, and nearby roads and trails. Heavy rain, snow, ice, flooding, and strong winds during the storm created waves on Lake Michigan more than 23 feet high.

“While the city has worked extensively over the past few months to respond to the damage and to secure the infrastructure and beaches along our lakefront, it is clear that this is a challenge we can’t solve alone,” said Lightfoot (left) on February 7.

The city has installed riprap – rocky material that armors shorelines – at beaches on the Far North Side to halt further damage and erosion, along with Jersey barriers and sandbags at other locations.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Lake Michigan water levels will remain high over the next several months. The Great Lakes are at a high point in what is believed to be a 30-year cycle of rising and falling lake levels.