It appears that in the case of Galveston and Chicago, the government paid to raise the streets and sidewalks, and it was up to private property owners to deal w

It appears that in the case of Galveston and Chicago, the government paid to raise the streets and sidewalks, and it was up to private property owners to deal with it themselves. In the USA, is that even possible anymore? I've been to both Galveston and Chicago, and you can see oddities here and there in some neighborhoods. In many cases, homes were not actually raised - the main floor became a basement and above it new doors were made into the existing walls! In a lot of locations, you cannot have a basement and get flood insurance. So what poorer people did in Galveston and Chicago is no longer an option.