The Center on Halsted and the Howard Brown Health Center were among dozens of buildings to incur storm damage July 23, but neither organization foresees lasting service cuts, officials say.
Severe thunderstorms whipped through Chicago shortly after midnight July 23, dumping as much as seven inches of rain in some of the areas of the city. The National Weather Service issued flash-flood warnings, and as many as 74,000 ComEd customers were without power at some point.
The Center on Halsted experienced roof flooding that damaged third floor storage rooms, said CEO Tico Valle, who was called in at 4:30 a.m. to assess damage. Although the Center's theater was dotted with puddles, nothing there was ruined.
"We were able to deal with it on our own," Valle said. "We actually had to mop up a lot of water, and we had scrub machines that took out the rest."
Unlike neighboring Whole Foods, which experienced more severe flood damage on its main floor and was forced to open two hours late, the Center on Halsted opened on time and conducted its services as normal on Saturday.
Although Howard Brown Health Center managed to escape flooding, it was forced to remain closed July 23 due to power outages. No medication or vaccines were lost, as refrigeration temperatures remained within acceptable ranges, said Magda Houlberg, vice president and chief clinical officer.
"We've added appointments this week to accommodate our patients that could not be seen over the weekend and are personally following up to ensure they get the care and attention they need," Houlberg said.
Barring more severe weather, neither organization anticipates any further closures or delays.