Northern IL pounded by torrential rains
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Residents of Northern Illinois this week are trying to recover and assess the damage caused by a major flood event that occurred over the weekend.
Mother Nature dumped nearly a foot of rain on a large portion of Northwest Illinois in just a two-day period. A number of residents had to evacuate their homes and some dairy operations were displaced, according to Chas Welch, manager of the Carroll County Farm Bureau.
She reported the water was so high in some areas the only thing visible in some cornfields was tassels.
"We had over 12 inches (of rain) in Lanark," Welch said. "Everything was out of its banks. It was absolutely crazy."
The Rockford Register Star reported the Kishwaukee River near Perryville was expected to crest at 16 feet (four feet above flood level), the Pecatonica River near Shirland was predicted to crest at 15 feet (three feet above flood stage), and the Rock River at Rockton was expected to crest at 12.4 feet (2.4 feet above flood level).
Elsewhere, an estimated 1,000 homes sustained flood damage in Stephenson County and about 30 to 35 county and township roads were closed as of Monday due to floodwater, the Freeport Journal Standard reported.
Gov. Pat Quinn this week declared Carroll, Cook, DuPage, Henderson, Jo Daviess, Lee, Mercer, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago counties state disaster areas because of flood damage.
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