Weathering the storm, enduring its aftermath
The mail gets through
Phil Koerner pulled on boots, grabbed his satchel and waded down one of Des Plaines' most water-logged streets.
The four dozen homes along Big Bend Drive may not have had power. But by noon Saturday, they had mail.
"I think people appreciate it when you come out," said Koerner, a mail carrier who's serviced this quiet neighbor-hood for five years. "That's one of the main reasons I'm out here."
If Koerner's mail truck got smiles and nods of thanks, ComEd's utility van elicited outright joy.
Frank Potempa left three days of dirty dishes in the kitchen to greet ComEd servicemen with raised fists.
"We heard it might not be until Monday or Tuesday, so just to see these guys show up … it's like, 'Wow, this is excellent,'" Potempa said.
ComEd repairmen Rob Smith and Cliff Treadway rolled through the swamped neighborhood as they neared 18 hours on the job. Here, they targeted a fallen branch that frayed a power line and tripped an electrical fuse.
Similar scenes played out across the Chicago region.
"It's all in the 'burbs," Smith said.
Anyone hungry?
With a refrigerator full of quickly spoiling food, Tom and Grace Curtis did the only thing they could -- they cooked.
The Des Plaines couple fired up a grill Saturday and invited neighbors to join them for steak and eggs.
Some waded through shin-deep water that made a lake of Big Bend Drive, a road that juts into the Des Plaines river.
Others came by boat.
"We floated down to visit them for breakfast," said Sherrie Borg, whose husband, Walter, grew up on the block.
The neighborhood friends pooled their food -- shrimp and a prime roast were on the dinner menu -- to share a meal and conversation during the storm's aftermath.
"If we were alone and had no one to talk to, this would probably be a little much," Leslie DeCarl said.
-- Tara Malone
Lost to the storm
Mount Prospect's side-walks testify to the violent storm's casualties.
Broken tree limbs piled high.
Garbage cans filled with spoiled food and curious keepsakes.
Laundry baskets laden with water-logged books long since relegated to the basement.
"The Robots of Dawn."
"The Tale of Genji."
"The Adventures of Lewis and Clark."
As she sorted through her dampened basement with the help of friends Saturday, Joan Tures unearthed a "classic kitchen" set she'd kept for her future grandchildren. That hit the discard pile along with a refrigerator full of food, old books and anything else soaked by water.
"The good thing is, I'll have a clean refrigerator and a clean basement," Tures said.
-- Tara Malone
Fox River
The Fox River crested early Saturday at 14.98 feet, nearly 5 feet above flood level and is expected to rise somewhat as it absorbs more runoff water.
It will be two likely weeks before the Fox River recedes to near flood level.
"If we don't have any additional rain, hopefully the river will stabilize," said Don Bryant, director of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management. "I have personally seen where it has receded."
Freddy Ruiz of Chicago was fishing off the west bank of the Fox River in Fabyan West Forest Preserve in Geneva from a lawn chair on the bike path, water just five feet away.
"I've been coming here for 10 or 15 years, and I've never seen the water this high," he said.
"Look over there, it looks like a tornado hit," Ruiz said as he pointed toward the wooded area outside the Fabyan Mansion, where trees were uprooted and large branches were down.
-- Nancy Gier and -- Jameel Naqvi
Des Plaines River
The water level on the Des Plaines River peaked mid-day Friday at about 10.5 feet, 3.5 feet above the flood level, at the Russell Road gauge near the Wisconsin border.
At Gurnee, the Des Plaines River crested early Saturday morning at about 9.74 feet.
"It looks like we came through in better shape than 2004," said Glenn Westman, wetlands specialist for the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission. "Downstream (at Libertyville and Lincolnshire) should be pretty well protected with precautions they took over the last few days with sandbagging."
The Des Plaines water level is slowly receding. It may take about a week for the river to return to below flood level at Russell Road, barring any significant rainfall. It may be Thursday before the river returns to below flood level at Gurnee.
Chain O' Lakes
The Chain O' Lakes are expected to rise as much as a foot and may not start to recede until Monday. Volunteers increased their sandbagging efforts Saturday.
More than 100 homes in Lake County fell victim to flooding, officials said.
"Most of the sandbags I think really held and protected many of the homes," Amy McEwan, Lake County's assistant administrator. "But there was some damage in low lying areas."
Waiting for help
A river now runs through the backyard of Bruce Goodell at 27964 Riverside Drive on the edge of the Fox River in Antioch Township, his home for 18 years.
Since Wednesday, neighbors have helped each other barricade homes with sandbags and pump water out of the deluged Fox River Spring subdivision off Route 173. Nearly half a dozen of the roughly 55 homes in the neighborhood were partially under water.
It's flooded before, but not this bad, Goodell said Saturday afternoon, speaking over the unceasing din of seven pumps throwing water back into the river away from his house.
"This might go down for a record breaker," the 60-year-old said.
Water was up to Goodell's knees in his backyard, slowly creeping into the crawl space under his house. The inside of his home was unspoiled.
Goodell joked that he had always wanted a swimming pool in his backyard. But the gravity of the situation didn't escape him, either.
"The biggest thing we've been waiting on is manpower and material," he said. "We haven't seen anybody from the Army Corps of Engineers, Salvation Army, Red Cross. We're the last subdivision in Lake County and everybody forgets us all the time. We don't have a voice."
Odd bus tour:
The shuttle bus ride down Kings Road from Moretti's Restaurant off Route 12 to Famous Freddie's Roadhouse in Fox Lake may seem like a peculiar sightseeing tour of flooded areas.
It's the only way to get to the roadhouse, situated on the T-channel of the Chain O' Lakes. Authorities have blocked off Kings Road so vehicle traffic doesn't create ripples in the floodwater that covers three-fourths of Freddie's parking lot and aggravates homeowners' plights.
With 3 feet of water in the backyard submerging a pier and a wading pool in front of his house, Kings Island resident Steve Fulk was resigned he had done all he could. His insurance policy is a five-sandbags-high barrier around three sides of his home and a pump. In three days, he has hauled 10 skids of sandbags.
The flooding has never been this bad in the five years he has lived there, Fulk said.
"I'm just trying to stay ahead of it," he said.
The water was thigh-deep in parts of the neighborhood with homes resembling an archipelago.
Neighboring Freddie's staff have been helping wherever they can, sandbagging and feeding residents.
"They are the ones in more distress than we are," said Freddie's general manager Brian Baker.
Last one turn the lights out
Dressed in just shorts and knee-high rubber boots, James Fiocchi waded through 2 ½ feet of water outside part of his building off Old Grand Avenue in downtown Gurnee.
His tenants, a barber shop and a boutique, had already closed shop. Fiocchi was one of the last people to clear out of the area. Shopkeepers had abandoned their businesses once the road was closed off.
Old Grand Road and Emerald Street remained under roughly 6 inches of water Saturday.
Roughly 5,000 sandbags laid by 500 Naval recruits and three pumps protected the interior of Fiocchi's building.
"It's keeping the water out," he said. "I didn't think it would flood this much. It looks like it might be slowing down."
Fiocchi said the loss would be greater for the area's business owners. "Maybe I'll lose a week's worth of rent," he said before driving off in his Mercedes sport-utility vehicle.
Several homes along Kilborne, Emerald and McClure roads were surrounded by floodwater. Residents there had barricaded themselves in with sandbags.
"It definitely could have been worse," said Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Tanner, recalling a flooding years ago when firefighters pulled up in boats in front of the Old Grand Avenue station.
The greater concern now is keeping children away from the floodwater, Tanner said.
Tread carefully:
The Lake County Forest Preserve has closed several facilities until further notice, including Brae Loch Golf Club, Buffalo Creek parking lot, Countryside Golf Club traditional course, the Des Plaines River Trail, some trails near the pond at the Greenbelt Forest Preserve, and the Rollins Savanna where all trail bridges are under water.
Canoe launches at Van Patten Woods, Oak Spring Road, Wadsworth Road and Route 60 are closed.
Carrying on
Residents of the Tri-Cities strolled or biked on bridges over the Fox River under sunny skies Saturday, some with cameras, pausing to assess the damage from the storms.
For Vicky and Rob Metzger, assessing the damage meant a return to their Grove Avenue home along the river's east bank in St. Charles after staying overnight with a friend.
"We have 4 feet of water in our house," said Rob from his front yard.
"We'll continue with our lives as best we can," said Vicky, who added they will continue to work at their jobs. "Thank heavens we have a place to go Monday."
Words painted in black on a slab of plywood leaning against their garage said, "No wake zone and send help."
Rob admitted to friends who came to sympathize he had no flood insurance and wondered if FEMA would be of any help.
"I checked into flood insurance several years ago and it would have been $2,200 a year," he said. "It's probably more like $3,000 now, in addition to my other insurance."
A few families ventured on foot into Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles Saturday despite a makeshift sign that said, "Park closed due to flooding."
Two paddle boats stood idle on the east bank of the river which had risen so high it covered much of the bicycle bath.
-- Nancy Gier
Cleaning up
Residents in southern sections of West Chicago moved branches, cut down trees and piled their driveway with personal belongings Saturday as they cleaned out flooded garages and basements.
Many yards already have thickets of downed branches bordering the street for pick-up. The city crews that were out looked exhausted and overwhelmed. Residents, still without power, were tired and stressed but focused on the work at hand.
Several streets were packed with the cars of visitors and extended family who came to help with the cleanup. Most of those who weren't still cleaning found a reason not to be at home.
-- Rupa Shenoy
Midwest spirit:
A day after the village declared a state of emergency, Villa Park's main arteries were clear Saturday and streets were passable. Still, half of the village was without power.
People were depending on generators or running cords to the homes that do have power. Others had neighborhood barbecues, or even garage sales.
"Nothing slows down a Midwesterner," Village President Joyce Stupegia said.
Village officials estimate 1,500 trees were destroyed or damaged. Many of those fell on homes or buildings, causing roughly $1.2 million in damage.
Residents did their own work, hoisting limbs, sawing at broken trees and hauling debris to right-of-ways.
The village activated a telephone network in order to check on the elderly. Those that couldn't be reached are being visited.
Major stores have re-opened, so food and supplies are readily available to residents.
"I do believe we're on the road to recovery however we have a ways to go," Stupegia said.
-- Rupa Shenoy
Riverwalk stable
Naperville officials said Friday that they didn't expect waters along the Riverwalk to recede for a few days. That proved true Saturday morning, as waters were still high. At the sprawling Cenacle Retreat House in Warrenville, grounds remained muddy and riddled with puddles.
-- Rupa Shenoy
Football diversion
There's never been a better reason to tailgate.
Glen Ellyn residents who have been living for days without power let off steam Saturday by grilling, drinking, and snacking in the Glenbard South High School parking lot before the Glenbard West High School versus South football game.
The match was the first face-off between the two hometown teams in 20 years.
"We don't have power, so we're here," said Julie Detmer, who, as co-president of West's boosters, probably would've been there anyway.
-- Rupa Shenoy
Dick Durbin tours area
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin joined several other elected officials on a tour of flood-ravaged Des Plaines Saturday morning. Standing with his shoes off and pants rolled up in shin-high water, the Illinois senator said he was thankful the storm wrath's focused on property damage instead taking human lives.
"I think a lot of people here are counting their blessings," Durbin said. "This could have been a lot worse."
-- Tara Malone
Back to business
Village crews had mostly finished cleaning up the damage from last week's storms Saturday, officials said.
"We just didn't have that much in the way of tree damage," Carpentersville Village Manager Craig Anderson said.
A few people picked up sandbags Saturday, but most had already finished protecting their homes, Bryant said.
Two roads -- Riverview Drive and Williams Drive north of Lake Marian Road -- still had significant damage and will be closed for at least a couple weeks while they are being repaired, Anderson said.
"Everything's being cleaned up in a positive manner," Fire Capt. Rick Paul said.
-- Jameel Naqvi
Unsafe water
A boil order was still in effect Saturday for the Richardson subdivision south of East Dundee, firefighters said.
Firefighters surveyed the hard-hit subdivision Saturday, distributing the boil order and reassuring residents.
"They're doing fine, as fine as they can be," Assistant Fire Chief Steve Schmitendorf said.
-- Jameel Naqvi