The flood emergency in the suburbs took on new urgency Saturday, as the Des Plaines and Fox rivers continued to rise in communities already ravaged by stormwater.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner issued a State Disaster Proclamation for Kane, McHenry, and Lake counties Friday after days of heavy rainfall that began late Tuesday.
Lake County declared a state of emergency Wednesday night, predicting that both rivers would crest within the week, leading to record flooding. [[434281383, C]]
In Russell, near the border of Wisconsin, the Des Plaines River reached a high of 12.15 feet on Friday, according to the National Weather Service, shattering the 2004 record of 11.09 feet. Near Lincolnshire, the river crested at 16.53 feet on Wednesday, breaking yet another record.
Near north suburban Gurnee, the river was expected to reach around 11.9 feet Saturday - a height that was last seen in 1986.
Police and emergency crews were monitoring the Des Plaines River in Gurnee, as residents and volunteers filled sandbags and tried to protect what has remained dry so far in a race against time. [[434672233, C]]
Lake County distributed around 170,000 sandbags to place around buildings, near streams and across roads, with more than 100,000 sandbags remaining.
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Crews continued to fill the bags as the water crept closer, moving down O'Plaine Rd. Water levels are expected to begin falling Sunday, with forecasts showing the river falling below its 7-foot flood stage sometime between Wednesday night and early Thursday. [[434038743, C]]
To the west, the worst is yet to come for the already hard-hit Chain O’Lakes area near the Fox River.
Floodwaters rushing down from Wisconsin could hit at the beginning of next week, not cresting until sometime around Tuesday night.
Near Algonquin, the Fox River is expected to reach a peak of 12.9 feet on Tuesday, breaking the previous record set in 2013. [[434290393, C]]
No deaths or injuries have been reported so far in the floods, according to Rauner, who added that at least 6,800 buildings were damaged across the northern suburbs.
Residents of communities impacted by the floods were asked to avoid the high waters, which may be contaminated, and to avoid traveling through standing water while driving.
