Monday Morning Flood Information for 09/15/2008

5.29? Rainfall at the WGFA studios since Friday morning.  There is a flood warning for N IL and NW IN inclduing the entire WGFA listening area is under a Flood Warning until at least 10am Monday. The river is rising and WGFA will continue watching. Iroquois river expected to crest 3 feet below the flood stage of 18 feet.

Here is a link to the Iroquois River at various measuring locations.. the link here is for Iroquois IL and The next one further upstream would be at Foresman, IN, about three miles east of Brook.   The measurements are recorded every 15 minutes. The National Weather Service updates the website with those 15 minute readings about every four hours. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/hydrologic for more details.

Jerry Rosalius reports exactly 5? of rain over the weekend near the geographic center of Iroquois County 3.75 miles South of Crescent City.  Other reports include 5.5? in Gilman, 4? in Sheldon, 5.3? in Beaverville, 5.1? in Clifton, 5.3? in Gilman, 5.5? in Cissna Park, 5? in Crescent City, 4.7? in Earl park, 4.1? in Wellington, and 9.4? reported 4 Miles South of Kankakee by Charles Cooper

Manteno Schools Closed – Poor Road Conditions

Momence High School Closed -

Peotone Schools Closed – 10.4? rainfall in Peotone

Milford High School has no electricity – SCHOOL IS IN SESSION AT ALL MILFORD SCHOOLS

Milford Viaduct is back open as of 3:43 this morning according to IDOT

No power in the town of Woodland as of 5am Monday – SCHOOL IS IN SESSION AT ALL WATSEKA UNIT 9 SCHOOLS INCLUDING WOODLAND

Cissna Park Peacemeals WAS cancelled… It is now going to be held

Route 49 in Cissna Park is open as of 8:25am Monday morning.  IDOT officials say there is some water over the roadway and signs are in place but it is passable.  Cissna Park had over 6? rainfall reported

Northern Newton County Thayer area 1200 North closed between SR55 400 E and 550 East in Northern Newton County Closed from SR14 to Division Rd.

Cissna Park Fire Department assisted about 6 families on Sunday night in a neighborhood that generally deals with Flash Flooding.

10th St and Porter Avenue in Watseka still closed.  Other areas barricaded Saturday have been re-opened.  Legion Parkarea had water rise from 9:30-6 approximately 3 feet.  Things seem to have leveled off.

In Cissna Park Pigeon Creek spilled out of it’s banks at 5pm yesterday afternoon.  Rick Beyer reports that things are getting back to normal after the Cissna Park Fire Department  evacuated several homes.  One WGFA listener said it appeared to be worse in Cissna Park than the flooding in January.

The Chicago area suffered through another day of relentless showers Sunday, causing widespread flooding, clogging streets and prompting some evacuations. Cook County Board President Todd Stroger declared a countywide state of emergency in the wake of flooding wrought by the weekend’s torrential rains. The declaration clears the way for requests for state financial assistance for flooding clean up.

The weather proved fatal, when an elderly Chesterton, Indiana man and his adult son died Sunday morning while trying to rescue a 10-year old boy who had been sucked into a culvert in a flooded drainage ditch. Killed were John Thanos, 74, and his son Mark, 48.

The city of Des Plaines declared a state of local emergency at 1:20 p.m. Sunday because of flash flooding. In a written statement, Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia said a shelter has been established in the Prairie Lakes Community Center, 515 E. Thacker St. The city recommended the evacuation of the following areas:

– The area bounded by River Road, Touhy Avenue, Maple Street and Oakton Street.
– Campbell Avenue at River Road.
– The Methodist Campground.
– Everything east of River Road, Golf Road, or I-294 to Busse Highway

In the Village of Rosemont, about 20 people living in basement apartments on River Road and Higgins Road were evacuated by the fire department. The village is putting them up at the Best Western Motel in Rosemont while their apartments dry out.

Meantime, emergency management officials in the village of Lansing, near the Indiana border, urged residents living near two waterways to leave their homes and seek shelter. At about 3 p.m. Sunday, officials said heavy rains mean the Little Calumet River and Thorn Creek were expected to crest within 2 to 24 hours, putting nearby residents at risk. Lansing has opened a temporary shelter at The Eisenhower Center, 2550 178th Street, Lansing.

Several Chicago area rivers, including the Des Plaines, Fox, Kankakee and Little Calumet Rivers were at or above flood stage on Sunday, threatening homes, businesses and schools. A small army of volunteers in Des Plaines, just northwest of Chicago, were fighting a pitched battle Sunday against the rising Des Plaines River. “We’re preparing for the worst but hoping for the best,” said city spokesman Will Soderberg.

In Naperville, workers sandbagged some buildings downtown as the DuPage River overflowed its banks. Water levels rose Sunday morning after gates of Fawell Dam were opened to help prevent flooding upstream, the city of Naperville’s Web site said.

There was also sandbagging in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, where crews placed about 30,000 sandbags along the rain-swollen Chicago River, which remained two feet above normal Sunday morning, said John Spatz, commissioner of the city’s Water Management Department. Nearly 350 Albany Park homes were affected and at least 40 residents in the North Side community were evacuated by boat.

Saturday’s rainfall of 6.64 inches at O’Hare International Airport set a new record for a single calendar day. The previous record was 6.49 inches, recorded on Aug. 14, 1987. Climate records for Chicago date from 1871.

While significant flooding in Chicago seemed limited to a few neighborhoods, officials said Sunday they would ask the governor to issue a disaster declaration for the city, a move that would make additional funds available to deal with flood-related costs.

Flooding also affected area roads and highways. The Bishop Ford Expressway – a major link between Northwest Indiana and Chicago – was closed Sunday at 130th Street because of flooding.

O’Hare International Airport was operating with minimal delays Sunday, one day after numerous flight cancellations were blamed on the weather.

Get the latest news at the 10 to the hour every our on Illiana’s Local News Choice, WGFA