Flooding in Tri-Cities: 'This is a disaster'

Rob Metzger - "This came up so fast" (Audio MP3)

The water came fast to the residents of Grove Avenue in Valley View.

First it was up to their ankles. Then their knees. Then their waists.

It was like nothing they'd ever seen, even those who've lived for 50 years here on the east bank of the Fox River in unincorporated St. Charles Township.

"This came up so fast. … (On Thursday) it came up three feet and doggone, from 1 o'clock to 7 o'clock at night, we were done. We couldn't keep the pumps going," said Rob Metzger, whose friends and neighbors helped remove a refrigerator from his waterlogged living room Friday afternoon.

Of the dozen or so homes on Grove Avenue, only one remained occupied Friday -- that of 19-year residents Mike and Mary Salmon. The couple used two gas-powered pumps and rows of sandbags to keep water out of the main part of their home.

Others weren't so fortunate.

"My house is ruined," Metzger said. "I wonder if FEMA or anybody's going to come in and help us. … This is a disaster, man."

Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared Kane, Cook, Lake and McHenry counties state disaster areas after the major storms Thursday and Friday. With that proclamation comes state assistance such as equipment and work crews to help with cleanup.

The Fox River was 716.5 feet above sea level Friday, according to measurements taken in the Dundee area. That's an increase of about a foot and a half in 24 hours. The river is considered to be at flood stage at 713 feet, said Don Bryant, director of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management.

Even if no more rain falls, the Fox River is expected to rise another half-foot today as water continues flowing downstream, said National Weather Service hydrologist Bill Morris.

"We're hoping heavy rain will miss the basin in the next 24 hours," Morris said.

St. Charles

The Illinois Street Bridge was shut down around noon Friday when the waterway was within inches of sweeping across. Along Route 25 residents used shovels, buckets and even their hands to raid a sand pile at Langum Park.

"We're just going to barricade ourselves in," said William Miceli, a 55-year resident whose family was filling sandbags to put around his house in Fox River Estates. "It's never been like this before -- not even close."

Emergency and public works crews cleaned up felled trees and repaired broken utility poles along Route 31. Firefighters said a tree trimmer was hospitalized Friday after being hit in the head by a falling branch, but they knew of no other injuries.

Public Works Director Mark Koenen said crews will collect storm debris around town for much of today.

Meanwhile, the city's electric and storm sewer systems were taxed but holding their own, officials said as they braced for more rain.

"For right now at least, I would say we're stable," Koenen said.

Geneva

Mill Race Inn owner George Roumeliotis can't even begin to estimate damage to his riverside restaurant. The lower-level Mill Grill is brimming with water.

On Friday he was frantically working his cell phone, trying to reschedule a wedding reception. The 74-year-old riverside restaurant on Route 25 just south of Route 38 (State Street) was open Thursday night. Then water started coming up through the sewers and over the patios and decks.

It was a nerve-racking day for the reception couple, Melinda Stache, 35, and Brian Goodman, 29, of Sycamore. Her best friend went to the restaurant Friday morning to check things out and saw the bad news.

The owner arranged to have the reception for 67 moved to Isabella's, another downtown restaurant.

Later Friday, the parties decided to move it back to Mill Race's upper level, which has electrical power. The food will be cooked at another restaurant and trucked over.

At least, that was the plan as of 5 p.m.

"It's been crazy. … We were scrambling and scrambling," Stache said. And she still had to run to Lowe's Friday to get an extension for a pipe draining water away from her yard in Sycamore, too.

The reception has a beach theme, because the couple met on a beach in Florida.

"We got the beach. We got high tide," said Renee Beall of Geneva, the friend who had recommended the Mill Race.

Roumeliotis praised the speed of the city's response to his call for help Thursday night, and was impressed the mayor called him at midnight to see how things were going.

Across the river, Herrington Inn and Spa general manager Paul Ruby echoed that praise. Employees of the city's administrative and water departments and the city engineer came over Thursday night to help the Herrington make plans to avoid flooding.

"It was amazing how fast the city reacted to a problem like this," Ruby said.

Inside a dining room, workers were using pumps to suck water out of the cold-air returns in the floor. Water was coming up from the ground, through the gravel of the foundation and breaching the vent work.

Batavia

The outdoor seating area at the Venice Tavern on River Street was completely submerged, with only a few table umbrellas sticking up from the water. Barricades on the Riverwalk, which was partly underwater, kept onlookers away from some river lookouts and paths.

Pumps are going and sandbags are ready for the city's wastewater treatment plant on Shumway Avenue, said Gary Larsen, director of public works. The city is planning an additional brush pickup for next week.

Construction on the Wilson Street bridge hasn't been adversely affected yet, said bridge liaison Terry Heffron. The bridge's coffer dam is completely flooded, but that isn't needed for the work going on now.

If the water is still high in a few weeks when demolition of the north half of the bridge starts, however, it could push the schedule back, he said.

Heffron said he was relieved this week the south side of the bridge was post-tensioned, which gives the bridge its strength.

"It was resting on temporary shoring, and a giant tree whacking into that shoring could be a problem," he said. "It gives us a lot of relief to see it's solid now and sitting with its own strength."

North Aurora

The Fox River swept eastward just north of State Street, putting some green space underwater and taking over a gazebo. And picnic areas north of the bridge were underwater.

Village officials and police officers kept working Friday as the river crept within a few feet of their building off State.

Village officials figured the building was safe, but police officers were going to keep checking overnight and a sump pump alarm would also alert authorities if the water got too close.

Sugar Grove, Elburn

Farther west, Sugar Grove and Elburn experienced no power outages nor major damage.

"Branches are down, but we don't know of any large trees that were uprooted," Sugar Grove Public Works Director Tony Speciale said.

Minimal street flooding was reported in Elburn.

Route 47

At least two intersections along Route 47 in unincorporated Kane County were flooded Friday. Kane County Sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler warned drivers to avoid Route 47's intersections with Route 20 near Hampshire and 64 near Lily Lake.

Drivers also are advised not to move barricades from the road, Gengler said. Doing so is dangerous and can cause other drivers to get stuck in standing water.