Suburbanites dig out storm drains as water threat builds

Welcome warmth was creating its own hazards Wednesday in the suburbs, as melting snow and ice left water in unwanted places.

Mike Hamlin, 26, of Schaumburg, took the opportunity to chip and shovel out the ice and snow by his driveway, as his house sits on the low end of the road and water was building up.

“It was a couple of inches deep — deep enough to cover my foot,” he said of the water backup.

His first order of business was to clear the sewer grate in the street so the water could run freely. For more than two hours until it was time for him to go to work, he chopped away at the ice chunks.

“It's a painful, brutal winter. It's Chicago,” he said as he worked.