Chicago, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Many parts of the Chicagoland area are looking for dry land after record rainfalls.
After a near-record deluge that shut down Chicago-area train lines and expressways — overwhelming streets and sewers as far away as DeKalb County — thousands of residents spent Saturday bailing out flooded basements and poring over damage that officials estimated to be in the millions.
The rainfall, reaching as high as 7.89 inches in Oak Park in less than 24 hours, created gridlock on normally quiet suburban streets, prompted the evacuation of a nursing home and caused several public safety scares, though no fatalities, officials said.
Areas of Westchester and Hillside along Roosevelt Road appeared to suffer the most damage. Westchester officials declared a state of emergency Saturday while rescue workers waded door-to-door and traveled the streets by boat to rescue nearly 60 people from stranded cars and waterlogged homes.
More than 158,000 area residents lost electrical power at the peak of the storms — which dropped more than seven inches of rain on the area — but the “vast majority” should have service restored by Sunday morning, ComEd Sr. Vice President Calvin Butler said.
Emergency officials in the western suburbs were hustling to rescue flooded homeowners, while work crews in the city fought flooded streets, even as a later wave of storms threatened the region.
In Westchester, flooding began about 1 a.m. and by 5:30 a.m., robo calls began to residents informing them of necessary evacuations, Pulia said. With water waist-deep in some areas and cars sunken up to their rooftops, the number of water rescues from people stranded in cars and their homes was in the hundreds. Dozens who had no place to go were being housed at the Village Hall and firehouse, Pulia said.
Pulia also said several emergency crews were prevented from reaching areas due to the flooding.
Thundershowers fell again Saturday night in Park Forest.
