Des Plaines, Fox Rivers to crest as flood warnings continue

SHARE Des Plaines, Fox Rivers to crest as flood warnings continue
flooding0717_1.jpg

Dan Robinson and April Cissell walk through the flooded Knollwood Road in Ingleside on Sunday morning. Knollwood Park subdivision residents have been parking along Route 59 and taking a boat or wading through the water to get to their homes. | Paul Valade/Daily Herald

A flood warning continues for the Des Plaines River in Lake and Cook Counties and the Fox River in Kane and McHenry Counties, the National Weather Service said Sunday.

After setting new records, the Des Plaines and other rivers are expected to crest in coming days.

Residents can expect relief by Thursday, when meteorologists predict the rivers will fall below flood stage.

Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com<br>Volunteer Cory Wedge of Round Lake, left, helps Fox Lake resident Dan Vezensky load his truck with sandbags Sunday morning at the Fox Lake Public Works facility.

Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
Volunteer Cory Wedge of Round Lake, left, helps Fox Lake resident Dan Vezensky load his truck with sandbags Sunday morning at the Fox Lake Public Works facility.

Gov. Bruce Rauner added Cook County to the state disaster proclamation while touring flood damage Sunday in McHenry County. The governor first issued the alert for Lake, McHenry and Kane Counties after his visit to Lake County on Friday.

“With flood waters impacting communities in Cook County, I’m adding the county to the state disaster proclamation to ensure we provide responders the resources they need to continue protecting public health and safety,” Rauner said in a emailed statement.

According to a National Weather Service forecast, the Des Plaines River at Riverside caused minor flooding after reaching 7.4 feet on Sunday, but it will fall below flood stage by early Wednesday morning.

Major flooding is still occurring at the Fox River near Algonquin, where the stage was 12.1 feet — well above the 9.5 flood stage — and NOAA meteorologists expect water to rise as late as Tuesday morning.

Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com<br>Algonquin resident Dan Prokop sandbags along the Fox River behind his La Fox River Drive home Sunday. Prokop starting the sandbagging process Thursday and makes adjustments as the river rises.

Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
Algonquin resident Dan Prokop sandbags along the Fox River behind his La Fox River Drive home Sunday. Prokop starting the sandbagging process Thursday and makes adjustments as the river rises.

Officials at the Fox Waterway Agency said the river may begin to fall after cresting Sunday without further rainfall.

In Des Plaines, Oakton Community College said their campus at 1600 E. Golf Road would remain closed for classes through Monday because parking lots are flooded.

The Red Cross will continue to offer displaced Lake County residents shelter and food at Magee Middle School in Round Lake and Jefferson Middle School in Waukegan. About 70 volunteers canvassed the county this weekend, providing about 1000 cleaning kits.

“We’ll continue to work through the week, and we expect the response to continue,” said Joy Squier of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago & Northern Illinois.

The governor’s office said the state has provided 350,000 sandbags to Lake County and 100,000 sandbags to McHenry County. It will deliver an additonal 50,000 to Kane County on Monday.

The Latest
The man was found unresponsive in an alley in the 10700 block of South Lowe Avenue, police said.
The man suffered head trauma and was pronounced dead at University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.
Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.”
Women make up just 10% of those in careers such as green infrastructure and clean and renewable energy, a leader from Openlands writes. Apprenticeships and other training opportunities are some of the ways to get more women into this growing job sector.
Chatterbox doesn’t seem aware that it’s courteous to ask questions, seek others’ opinions.