Flooding in Jefferson Chalmers: Recommendations for Resilience

Flooding in Jefferson Chalmers: Recommendations for Resilience

Presenters: Erin East, MS (SusDev, EPP), MPA; Moksha Menghaney, MS (EPP), MPP; Maaike Wielenga, MS (BEC); Rachel Woodcock, MS (EJ, EPP)

Advisors: Dr. Samuel Stolper; SEAS Sustainability Clinic

Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Client: Jefferson East, Inc.

In June 2021, residents of the Jefferson Chalmers Neighborhood awoke to sewage-flooded  basements and streets again when heavy rainfall overwhelmed the aging combined stormwater/sewer system. The destruction by this flood and previous flooding in 2014 and years past has caused financial distress and harmful mental and physical health impacts for residents and businesses. 

Frustrated and saddened by the continuing devastation, Jefferson East Inc. (JEI), a non-profit community development organization committed to improving the lives of Jefferson Chalmers residents, partnered with the SEAS Sustainability Clinic and engaged our team of SEAS masters students to study the issue and provide actionable recommendations on how JEI can improve community resilience. 

We conducted extensive research on the history, politics, and policies of flooding in Jefferson Chalmers from the community to the federal level and reviewed case studies on flooding resilience in other communities. We also interviewed JEI staff and government officials, and attended community meetings to gain insight into the personal perspectives of stakeholders involved. 

From this research, we identified five actions for JEI to improve Jefferson Chalmers' flood resiliency: 1) Advocate for infrastructure investments, funding for resilience programs, and equitable community representation in decision-making; 2) Proactively plan for disaster response by creating an internal flooding standard operating procedure, and hosting flood-preparedness community workshops; 3) Establish a communication hub to share information between the government and residents on policies and programs; 4) Incorporate sustainable design into all of JEI’s development projects; and 5) Hire dedicated resilience personnel to manage JEI’s resiliency programs and coordinate with other organizations.