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Libertyville Declares ‘State of Emergency;' Lake Forest Hospital Evacuated Amid Flooding, Power Outages

Libertyville has declared a state of emergency after seven inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours, according to police, while Northwestern Hospital in Lake Forest has been evacuated.

According to the police department, more rain is expected this evening, which is causing concern for more flooding in the area. 

Meanwhile, Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital is evacuating some of its patients amidst concerns over power outages and flooding in the area, the medical facility reports.

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The power outage occurred early on Wednesday, as parts of the hospital lost power. Radiation Oncology has been closed all day Wednesday, according to the hospital's website, and medical office buildings on the campus have also been affected by the outages. 

In Libertyville, residents are being asked to be careful with utilities and flooded basements, and police have also warned that some areas may have power and gas utilities shut off due to safety precautions. 

Residents are also being asked to stay out of floodwaters, as they could be unsafe or contaminated with pollutants. 

The stormy weather on Wednesday morning downed trees and power lines as rising waters shut down roadways and left drivers stranded. 

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Roads were shut down in several suburbs, including:

  • Route 176 from Route 43 to Interstate 94
  • Route 43 and Route 41 just south of Route 176
  • Two lanes of southbound I-94 were shut down at the Lake Forest Oasis, causing delays back to Route 132 during the morning rush.
  • Route 137 was closed from Route 21 to St. Mary's Road in Libertyville.  
  • Route 45 from Petersno to Casey

The Kane County Sheriff's office said it was responding to numerous reports of abandoned vehicles in the north Starks area. 

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Just before 5 a.m., ComEd reported more than 14,800 people were without power in Lake, Kane, McHenry and Cook counties. By 11 a.m., 28,000 were without power in the north and west regions. 

The heavy rain and storms had ended just before 6 a.m. across most of the area, but storms are expected to return Wednesday evening.

Scattered showers and storms, some possibly strong to severe with heavy rain, are forecast. 

A Heat Advisory is also in effect throughout the day Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Ford, Grundy, LaSalle and Livingston counties. Heat indices between 95 and 104 are expected across the area, reaching up to 105 for the the counties under the advisory. 

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