Mountains of piled up snow from multiple storms this season has many homeowners bracing for the next possible weather event -- widespread flooding.
Rising temperatures and the resultant thaw could potentially cause big problems for communities that sit along the Des Plaines River.
"Of course it's nice to have it warm up, but it creates a lot of water," said Martina Hooper, who's worried about flooding in her Des Plaines home. "Yes we are worried, we're worried when everything melts, everything goes in the river, plus it comes down from Wisconsin."
Hooper's garage sits close to the river, and it always takes on water.
"We don't sand bag, it doesn't work for us. We just let it come and go," Hooper said.
Hooper's neighbor, Laszlo Klinko, is also worried about the spring thaw and rain.
"It depends on how much rain we're going to get. The river is going to go up. I would bet on it. I'm only hoping for the best, we are completely exposed," Klinko said.
Klinko says that after dealing with flooding several times, he's applied to build a flood wall around his home.
"There have been several flood walls built, two of them that I knew here Des Plaines. They work wonderfully," Klinko said.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) and the Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) issued a news release Tuesday stating they are monitoring conditions as they develop and plan to deploy additional crews to help keep water draining and catch basins clear.
Residents are asked to help prevent local flooding by keeping catch basins clear during the thaw and to run a trickle of water to prevent frozen pipes. Residents are also asked to help remove litter and debris from the street so that it doesn't block basins, causing flooding."
