Winfield flooding issues continues

Access to two Winfield subdivisions remains limited Friday because a stretch of High Lake Road remains underwater.

And village officials say it could be days before the hundreds of residents who live in Shelburne Farm and High Lake can drive vehicles in and out of the subdivisions.

“There’s a few feet of water on the road,” Village Manager Curt Barrett said. “So it’s blocking access to the two subdivisions. People cannot drive their cars in and out of the subdivisions. They can walk in and out.”

Fortunately, Barrett said, the Winfield Fire Protection District’s larger vehicles can get through the floodwater to respond to any emergency calls.

The village declared a state of emergency on Thursday, when flooding throughout the community resulted in a handful of residents being evacuated from their homes.

Barrett said the amount of flooding is the worst officials have seen in more than 20 years.

“It’s not that it was the biggest storm event,” Barrett said. “But the ground was already wet when the rain started.”

In addition to High Lake, other roads that remained closed Friday morning include: Summit, from Brookside to Beecher; Park Street by the DuPage River; and River Lane at Shady Way.

Barrett said the cleanup effort is going to be “extensive” because of the amount of flooding. However, the village next week is scheduled to have its annual free trash pickup.