Des Plaines takes stock of wet weekend

Des Plaines is still recovering from weekend storms that brought down 90 billion gallons of water to the area and left flooded homes and streets.

The city council shared stories of the flooding at its meeting Monday, devoting nearly an hour to weather warnings and information.

Police Deputy Chief Mike Kozak said the ordeal kept escalating over the weekend, starting at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, when the city received news that the Des Plaines River was expected to overflow.

As the situation worsened, Des Plaines opened a shelter for displaced residents and encouraged about 2,500 to evacuate their homes.

Mayor Tony Arredia said he saw residents coming together to help each other when the situation became dire.

The city also received accolades from residents on how it handled the flooding; however, Larry Arkus, whose parents live in town, said the situation seems to be getting worse year after year.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

Arredia said the flooding was a construct of Mother Nature that couldn't be avoided: About 8.5 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period, and the river peaked at 10 feet.

"You can't control that much water," he said.

Alderman Mark Walsten said Des Plaines has been working on the flooding issue for years, including the construction of several levies and pumps.

"It's a big problem. We're working on it," he said. "90 billion gallons of water - you can't just make it go away."

Residents were reminded to stay out of floodwaters and call the city's emergency management at (847) 391-5396 if they need help cleaning out their homes. The council also warned against driving in streets that have been barricaded.

The city will also pick up sandbags and debris from the flooding, starting today. For more information on flooding, visit desplaines.org.