In Too Deep

WAVES PUMMELED TODD ROSENTHAL’S SECOND-FLOOR CONDO ON EASTLAKE Terrace in Rogers Park during a mid-January storm. Not spray. Literal waves. He helped a neighbor board up her windows, like coastal residents do during hurricanes, to help stanch the water seeping in. It’s now an unspoken rule that residents of their 100-year-old building text each other during storms to make sure everyone is OK.

As wind and water have thrashed the lakefront over the past year, we’ve all seen photos on social media of the damage to public beaches. Homeowners along