Chicago Area Local News

ELGIN, Ill. (CBS) ― Flooding problems persisted from Elgin to Winthrop Harbor this weekend, after Friday's torrential rains led several rivers and creeks to swell far outside their banks.

A flood warning remains in effect for the Des Plaines River in Cook and Lake counties Sunday evening, and more showers could be on the way.

High levels on the Des Plaines River precluded rescue crews from searching for a man who appeared to be swallowed up by a dam near Wheeling on Saturday. A witness said the levels on the river near Milwaukee Avenue and Hintz Road were so high that the dam was invisible.

At 1:45 p.m. Sunday, the Des Plaines River was at six feet in Des Plaines, the weather service said. Flood state is five feet and minor flooding was occurring. New numbers on the river levels have not been released.

The weather service is predicting a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms through Monday.

The river is expected to rise near seven feet by Monday evening, causing water of pavement and roads, the weather service said.

The flood warning also remains in effect for the Fox River in far west suburban Montgomery, as well as in Lake County and Kenosha County, Wis., according to the National Weather Service's Web site.


Water Levels Recede After Inundating Elgin
As of 10:35 a.m. Sunday, Elgin police said they were removing road barricades because the water was receding.

But as late as 4 p.m. Saturday, numerous streets remained impassable, including busy Willard Avenue between Sharon Court and Laurel Street, and the south ends of Liberty, Lavoie and Illinois Avenue.

As a group of South Liberty Street neighbors ate tacos and roasted corn in their driveway Saturday afternoon, water was 2-feet deep in the backyards just beyond where they sat.

"We're so fed up with this flooding," said Josie Davila. She said this backyards flooding was not as bad as the floods in the neighborhood last September and December, which made these people's homes reachable only by boat and caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to each home. But all it would take to push the water back to that level is another day or so of rain, she said.

"Several houses here have been vacant since December," said Pablo Orozco, who also lives along South Liberty. "We're all thinking of moving away. But nobody would want to buy our houses."

Linda Boone, a Liberty Street resident featured in an Elgin Courier-News article this winter on flood-damaged homes, said she is planning to gather a delegation of the neighbors and demand some kind of help for the neighborhood from the city council.

But the excess of liquid was not bad news to everyone in the area. Brandon Sommers, 9, and Halsay Sanchez, 5, were as wet as if they had been out swimming as they skidded their bikes sideways to create waves in the 2 feet of water covering the intersection of Ramon and Willard. Part of adjoining Kiwanis Park was covered by water. The 20-foot-wide channel of the actual creek could be told apart from the block-long expanse of quiet floodwater where the children were playing only because the waves and noise at its surface denoted a powerful, fast-flowing current underneath.

Young Sommers said he knows it would not be safe to ride his bike close to that surging current. "The water is as deep as my waist when you get to that sign already," he said, pointing to a spot 20 feet from where he sat on his bike, but still 100 feet away from the current.


Flooding Problems Persist In Lake County
Lake County is attempting to recover from powerful storms that brought surges of lighting, thunder and heavy rains late Friday into early Saturday.

There were reports of flooding in not only streets, but in basements as a result of the storm.

In Winthrop Harbor, 6th Street and Cavin Avenue were among the many areas that experienced high waters and flooding. Some residents made use of the conditions and canoed through the neighborhood after 3.6 inches of rain fell.

Around 8:30a.m. Saturday, the Des Plaines River was at level of 7.79 feet and rising, according to information provided by the National Weather Service.

Currently, the National Weather Service is predicting the river to crest at 8.2 feet on Sunday.

The Des Plaines spilled over its banks at approximately 7 feet, and problems with roadway access along Emerald Avenue and Kilbourne Road occurred at approximately 8.5 feet.

There are no predictions of any significant precipitation over the next few days.

Waukegan also experienced some minor flooding in areas after being doused with 3.9 inches of rainfall.

However, Gurnee's Department of Public Works has supplies on hand in the event sandbagging operations need to be implemented.

The STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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