Kane County braces for flooding

Kane County largely avoided major flooding Saturday but continued rain and thawing means the county may not be in the clear.

After temperatures rose dramatically, melting snow that led to fog and flooded roads, the mercury was expected to dip again Sunday.

The temperature drop could provide a measure of relief to local officials dealing with a rising Fox River and roads rendered impassable by standing water.

"For the most part, the melting has taken place and not had a significant effect besides the roadways," said Don Bryant, director of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management. "We're not expecting this to continue into (Sunday)."

Howevere, meteorologists said river levels still were projected to rise Sunday, with the Fox River expected to flood in Algonquin around noon.

"A lot of ditches and small streams will still be flooding through the night," said Jim Allsopp, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "There's a lot of runoff between the melted snow and all the rain that's fallen (Saturday)."

Authorities in Kane and McHenry counties reported a handful of road closures and several cars slipping off the road Saturday, but few flooded homes or major accidents.

Among the roads closed or impassable were Route 25 north of Dunham Road near South Elgin and McCornack Road between Route 72 and Big Timber Road in Gilberts.

In Elgin, authorities closed Sadler Avenue from Olive Street to Mackey Lane and Maroon and Varsity drives.

Elgin City spokeswoman Sue Olafson said one elderly woman along South Hammond Avenue had to be rescued from her home when her basemen flooded. The American Red Cross also opened an emergency shelter at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive.

"It's been our experience that people would prefer to stay with relatives in an emergency. But if anyone needs a place to stray, the emergency shelter is an option," said Elgin Assistant Fire Chief Rudy Horist.

Kane County opened its emergency operations center to monitor the Fox River and to distribute sand.

Bryant said his office only had to hand out sandbags to a couple homes in the county Saturday.

"It hasn't been nearly as bad as was expected," Bryant said. "Everything appears to be under control, and we're doing OK."

Still, some Batavia homeowners sought help at their local Ace Hardware.

"We are going through (driveway) salt and quite a bit of sump pumps," store supervisor Brett Baish said, adding that customers told him their previous pumps had failed.

In Campton Hills, residents were warned to prepare for flooding even in areas that hadn't before, as the frozen ground had trouble absorbing the fast snow melt. The ice melt of Friday and Saturday was the equivalent of receiving up to 2 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke was out and about checking trouble spots in the city, including Braeburn Marsh on the northwest side, which filled up and caused nearby neighborhoods to flood during a September storm. It was fine Saturday afternoon.

"We've been watching very closely all day," said Schielke, adding that the public works department received roughly 30 calls about yards and streets flooding around town.

Most of the flooding was caused by blocked catch basins, which workers cleared out, officials said. The street department also did an emergency repair of a large pothole at Water and Wilson streets in downtown Batavia.

• Daily Herald staff writer Harry Hitzeman contributed to this report

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