Des Plaines, Fox rivers to crest; relief by Thursday
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 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.
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 an 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 was 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.
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 its 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 1,000 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.