Rain causes flooding, delays and a massive pothole
By Staff, wire reportsRain causes flooding, delays and a massive pothole
By Staff, wire reportsStorm floods Chicago
Storified by · Thu, Apr 18 2013 13:36:26
A rainstorm pummeling the Chicago area ripped open a massive pothole Thursday that swallowed three cars, injuring one driver badly enough that he had to be hospitalized. Blasts of torrential rain and widespread flooding forced authorities to shut segments of major expressways, and hundreds of flights were scrapped.
Schools were closed, commuter trains slowed to a crawl and a local emergency agency to the north, in Lake County, drafted jail inmates to fill sandbags. Swaths of central Illinois were also affected as authorities predicted record flood stages, and Gov. Pat Quinn declared an emergency.
Emergency officials in Chicago said they’ve already fieldedmore than 1,200 calls about flooded basements and another 600 about inundatedstreets. About 1,000 city workers are fanned out across the Chicago to helpopen sewers and pump flooded areas, said Chicago Commissioner of WaterManagement Tom Powers.
“This is indicative of these new storms that are now cominginto – into the world,” Powers said. “ These are storms that hit quick, theydrop a lot of rain in a quick amount of time and move on.”
The gaping massive pothole (it’s not a sinkhole) opened up a residential street on Chicago’s South Side just before 5:30 a.m. after a cast iron water main dating back to 1915 broke during the massive storm. The hole spanned the entire width of the road and chewed up grassy areas abutting the sidewalk. Two of the cars that disappeared inside had been parked, but a third was being driven when the road buckled and caved in. Only the front-end of one of the vehicles could be seen peeking up along the edge of the chasm.Chicago Police said the driver was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries
Tom LaPorte, a spokesman for the city’s water department, said the force of the heavy rain or the movement and weight of the rain-soaked ground could have caused the pipe to crack open.
An overwhelmed sewer system sent water gushing geyser-like from manholes with such force it rattled the heavy covers.
“The water will come out any way it can,” LaPorte said. He said there have been hundreds of reports of flooded basements.
Workers were furiously filling sandbags and putting up barricades along the north branch of the Chicago River in the Albany Park neighborhood in the hopes of keeping the river from rising over its banks, LaPorte said.
Authorities opened locks on the river to allow the storm-swollen waterway to rush out into Lake Michigan, a step that is not uncommon during storms. There’s big chunks of trash anddebris from runoff getting into the river, and it’s still unclear how much raw sewage willhave been rerouted into Lake Michigan as a result of the gates opening.
The river was diverted away from the lake more than a century ago to keep pollution out of the lake, the source of the city’s drinking water. But workers had to “re-reverse” the flow because huge tunnels and reservoirs designed to hold storm water were full or near capacity, said Metropolitan Water Reclamation District spokeswoman Allison Fore.
Other parts of northern Illinois and central parts of the state also saw storm damage, prompting prompted Quinn to issue an emergency declaration. That allowed the state to access federal resources, including generators, pump systems sandbags and additional funds.
Across Illinois, authorities were expecting record flood stages.
“Based on the forecasting right now, we expect to meet and exceed historic flood levels,” said Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. He added that officials expect “in excess of what we saw in Chicago in 1986 and 1987; the Mississippi, we expect it to be in excess of what we saw in 2008, all of which were very significant floods.”
The rain, combined with strong winds, downed power lines, flooded homes and toppled big-rigs across central Illinois.
In Peoria, basement walls in some homes collapsed. Authorities had to rescue stranded people by boat during an evacuation of parts of Roanoke where homes were inundated by water. The Red Cross opened a shelter there and others in Woodford and LaSalle counties.
In Gibson City, winds blew down a horse barn, killing one horse.
On roadways throughout the Chicago area, vehicles were stalled in standing water that was nearly up to car windshields in some places. On the Edens Expressway, flooding prompted the Illinois Department of Transportation to divert traffic onto other roads.
Several expressways have been at least partially closed, including the Eisenhower northbound lanes on the city’s North Side. Some schools had to cancel classes because buses were unable to maneuver through flooded streets.
Around 550 flights in and out of O’Hare International Airport were canceled, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.com.
Thursday’ storm drenched the airport with more than 5 inches of rain. The National Weather Service said another band of storms could unload another 2 inches in the afternoon.
“We will have another line of strong thunderstorms going through south of the Chicago area, and behind that there is another area of widespread rain that will move through the area,” meteorologist Andrew Crein said.
Trains were delayed on most of the 11 Metra commuter rail lines linking the city and its suburbs because of flooding near tracks and stations, spokesman Tom Miller said. Some lines were brought to a standstill by the snarl of lined-up trains waiting to get into stations.
A lightning strike also caused a power outage that forced track switches to be made manually on one of the lines running north out of the city, causing delays.
Suburban DuPage County shut down all government buildings because of flooding, according to the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights.
That giant gaping hole on the Southside of Chicago? It may not be a sinkhole after allAnthony Randazzo says that 40-foot hole, the one that swallowed three cars and one man, is actually a giant pothole.
Flooding in Des Plaines, Illinoiswbez
The Chicago River has been temporarily re-reversed to alleviate floodingwbez
Gov. Pat Quinn has initiated a state response center to monitor flooding and severe weather in portions of Illinois and help coordinate assistance local authorities may need. It’s called the State Incident Response Center. Quinn is urging the public to stay alert. He had events scheduled in Springfield on Thursday but in a statement says that he plans to change that so he can assess flooded areas and the emergency response himself.
Flooding in a drought year: What gives? by WBEZFor months we’ve been hearing about drought and low water in our region. But this week there were flood warnings in the Illinois, Des Pla…
Climate change could worsen Chicago floodsThe 10 most extreme floods in northeast Illinois all occurred after 1950, but Chicagoans don’t need mathematical models to know flo…
Ravenswood metra stopEvan Miller
road closed.clarkmaxwell
Twitter / MikePuenteNews: Columbia Avenue bridge is closed …MikePuenteNews
neighborhood flooding.clarkmaxwell
Rain 4.18.13sepdodson
Rain 4.18.13sepdodson
Bohemian Cemetery (and others in North Park neighborhood ) holding water, keeping it off streets #morningshift @wbez pic.twitter.com/S4qrQTBef8Jeanne Marie Olson
On Lake Shore Drive. Flooding. #chiwxthepinkini
Twitter / ivorypieces: @WBEZ but wait I have more! …ivorypieces
Another view of #sinkhole at 96th & Houston. @WGNMorningNews #Chicago pic.twitter.com/WupTeCTnFmNancy Loo
Twitter / NancyLoo: Pavement and third car just …NancyLoo
Car stuck on Wolf Road between Butterfield & St. Charles Rd. Hillsidechicagopublicmedia
Wolf Road in Hillside, Ill.chicagopublicmedia
Flooded house across from Des Plaines River at river and Gregory St in Mount Prospectchicagopublicmedia
Sandbagging in Des Plaines, Ill. on the Eck family property at Woodland and Grovechicagopublicmedia
Flooding on the Eck property in Des Plaines, Ill.chicagopublicmedia
Flooding on the Eck property in Des Plaines, Ill.chicagopublicmedia
HELLLLLLLLP!!!! THE BUS IS FLOODINGchitowndmario
#chicagoflood #flood #Chicago #Addison #exit #cars #rain #thunder #Nonstop #flooding #wow #coolFrank A
ComEd workers trudge through water under State Street. #chicago #floodingwbezchicago
Gulls in raineschwister
Our streets are now rivers!Luigi Aliperta
just general delays at this point. metrarail.com/metra/en/home.… RT @ZonyTaldivar: @SarahJindra Any word on Metra flooding?Sarah Jindra
55 Garfield buses are temporarily rerouted via Halsted, 59th, and Princeton.cta
Significant flooding reported in Dupage Co., Ill. Cars stalled, lower levels of some apartment buildings flooded. #ilwxThe Weather Channel
Husband just called. He’s shoveling mud out of the basement. Bring us a picture of your flooded basement for a free slice of pie!Hoosier Mama Pie Co
Hot Doug’s is closed today due to the rain. Stay safe out there, my friends! :)Hot Doug’s
LULA IS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. WE WILL REOPEN AS SOON AS WE CAN. stay tuned right here for more info.lula cafe
Twitter / kurtmaddox: Terrible flooding in #Chicago …kurtmaddox
A Lull in the Stormbenchorizo
Twitter / theluisdiaz: No one is getting on for a …theluisdiaz
Twitter / katieobez: Share your #weather photos …katieobez