Des Plaines readies for the worst

Steady rain and flooding continued for a second straight day in the suburbs, threatening thousands of local homes and businesses.

Des Plaines, hit the hardest by the storms, went into emergency mode, with officials predicting water levels to surpass the record-breaking flood in 1986.

The Des Plaines River was at 9 feet, 4 inches at noon Sunday, with officials expecting the river to crest at 10 feet by 7 p.m., city spokeswoman Karen Kozenczak said.

About 180 SWAT team members from the Cook County Sheriff's Office have been deployed to the dozen sandbag locations throughout the city, Kozenczak said.

The city is recommending a voluntary evacuation of residents.

The Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter for those who have left their homes at Prairie Lakes Community Center, 515 E. Thacker St.

A flood warning remains in effect until 4:15 a.m. Monday for DuPage, Cook, Lake, Kane and southern McHenry counties.

O'Hare International Airport expects flight delays throughout the day, Chicago aviation spokesman Greg Cunningham said.

More than 50 flights were canceled yesterday.

All around the Northwest suburbs, basements are flooded, streets are impassable, local streets and major thoroughfares closed.

Several Cook County communities, including Des Plaines, Rolling Meadows, Morton Grove, Park Ridge and Glenview, have fully activated their emergency operations centers, where all department heads gather in one room to coordinate efforts.

Illinois Emergency Management Agency officials are present at those centers, spokeswoman Maggie Carson said.

About 40 people in two buildings of the Rolling Meadows' Willow Bend condo and apartment complex north of Algonquin Road on the east side of Salt Creek were evacuated Saturday, Mayor Ken Nelson said.

Public works crews in Mount Prospect have set up a concrete and sandbag barrier down the middle of River Road between Woodview and Seminole. The barrier is designed to keep the river water from reaching the homes across the street.

Two pumps are pulling water from the sewer system and pushing it into the river, in an effort to keep area basements from flooding.

Campton Hills saw a record 8 inches of rainfall throughout the village, officials said.

The Sugar Grove Fire Department evacuated several condominiums Sunday morning.

Fire officials were still responding to those calls as of 12:15 p.m.

Don Bryant, director of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management, said water levels in the Fox River and the tributaries that feed it were starting to go down in South Elgin and St. Charles Sunday.

"The problem is moving south through the county," he said.

Dozens of weekend events have either been canceled or rescheduled due to the storms.

Rain forced organizers to cancel a Mexican Independence Day festival in West Chicago. And a daylong series of soapbox derby races in Naperville will be put off until sometime next month, organizers said.

Meadowdale International Raceway's 50th anniversary celebration at Raceway Woods in Carpentersville was rescheduled.

Heritage Fest in West Dundee, Fall Fest in Huntley and Elgin's annual Housewalk were not canceled, but event organizers reported low turnout.

Small rivers and streams which have flooded include Buffalo Creek in Wheeling, Weller Creek in Des Plaines, the Skokie River in Lake Forest, the Chicago River in Deerfield, the east branch of the DuPage River in Bolingbrook, and Salt Creek in Rolling Meadows, Elmhurst and Western Springs.

In Lake County, the heaviest rains have been on the southern edge, said emergency management coordinator Kent McKenzie.

While Des Plaines River in Gurnee rose to 6 feet this weekend, water levels remain well below the flood stage. Unless levels surpass 9 feet, the water will not have any impact on buildings and houses in the area.

Residents in Deerfield and Highland park have reported flooding in basements and crawlspaces. A number of parking lots are flooded, McKenzie said.

Route 41 at Deer Path Road in Lake Forest remained closed through Sunday afternoon, McKenzie said.

Chain of Lakes levels continue to be steady, McKenzie said. "The Chain has come up 6 inches in the past 36 hours, and may go up another four or five today, but isn't anywhere near flood stage."

With Lake County expecting less than an inch of additional rain today, officials are breathing a sigh of relief. "Is it good news? We certainly think so," McKenzie said.

In DuPage, the viaduct on Glen Ellyn Road between Windy Pointe Drive and Mitchell road is closed. Other closings include Villa Road between Lake Street and Lmyrick; Munger Road at Stearns, and Swift Road between Route 64 and St. Charles Road.

DuPage County Board Chairman Robert J. Schillerstrom says the county will continue preparing their resources, such as road barricades and sandbags, in order to make them available to local municipalities if needed. DuPage County has already distributed over 65,000 sandbags, Schillerstorm said in a news release.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich "is aware of all the flooding," spokeswoman Jill Watson said.

The governor's office has received no request for state assistance so far.

Any visit by Blagojevich to the affected communities "at this point has not been determined," Watson said.

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