Volunteers assist with flood cleanup in Villa Park

As one of a handful of Western suburban towns that declared a state of emergency Thursday, Villa Park will be continuing the cleanup process on Friday and beyond, authorities said.

The village was hit with 9.35 inches of rain in about 24 hours by 8:30 a.m. Thursday, flooding almost 20 streets or intersections and requiring evacuation of a few buildings.

As crews responded to emergencies, Community Emergency Response Team volunteers like Trustee John Davis, his wife Kelly, and their daughter Jessica, helped fill sand bags and clear drains.

“We just filled the bags as quickly as we could,” Kelly Davis said about the volunteer effort, staged at the electronics recycling center at 14 W. Home Ave. “I think it’s good because it brings the residents together to help out the community and we all work as a team.”