Homeowners still picking up pieces after storms, flood
Scott Bruce of Carol Stream carried a mattress from his summer home to the curb on Grove Avenue through about 8 inches of water.
A couple of ducks had just paddled by, oblivious to the carnage inside several of the dozen or so homes on this quiet street in the Valley View area of unincorporated St. Charles Township.
"My grandfather built this place in 1926," said Bruce, who spends weekends and his summer vacation in the small, green house.
Bruce and others on his street were so busy facing overwhelming cleanup tasks Saturday they hardly had time to notice the sun was out and the weather was near perfect.
The back of their homes faces the east bank of the Fox River, which left its banks after severe storms struck the area just nine days ago. Water has receded but still is high.
"We're throwing out everything," said Bruce. "Beds, sofas, flooring. The hardwood floors buckled. And it stinks. I've used a lot of bleach and cleaner, but it still stinks."
Bruce said the 1997 floods brought only about an inch of water inside his home. This time, water rose 3 feet.
He's not sure about renovation; he didn't have insurance.
In their home just to the south of Bruce's, Chip and Jennifer Holmes were throwing books and other items into a 20-cubic-yard trash container parked in front of their spacious, two-story house. A University of Michigan coverlet, blankets and towels were laid across a wooden fence to dry.
"We knew the flood was coming and we got some things up higher, but not high enough," said Chip. "We had four feet of water in our basement and we watched our furniture, washer and dryer and a refrigerator we had down there float by."
"We do feel blessed, but it's been painful," said Jennifer.
The couple moved to their home a year ago from Michigan.
"So many of our books meant something," she said. "We didn't have water or power for a few days, but we went to my father's home in Wheaton to eat and take showers. "
Jennifer said their homeowner's insurance will cover their furnace and water heater, but coverage did not extend to personal possessions.
"We didn't know that living in a flood plain negated coverage against water damage," said Chip.
Harry Klimek said he and his wife, Evelyn, were able to move back into their Grove Avenue home Friday after staying with their son.
"Our furniture is shot and our furnace and hot water heater are gone," Klimek said. "But we had flood insurance and we'll get reimbursed."
Next door, Vicky and Rob Metzger, who did not have flood insurance, were dragging carpets and other items from their home to a trash container a few yards from their waterlogged front yard.
"We'll getting rid of it all," Vicky said, adding that it's uncertain when they will be able to move back in.