Rain, Rain, Go Away!

By Tim State in News on Sep 14, 2008 2:00PM

The Chicago River has flooded the north-side neighborhood Albany Park. As a result, the Chicago Fire Department has evacuated several families.

At the corner of Avers and West Carmen Avenue, water was up to 2-feet deep, and vehicles were moving slowly through the flooded area. The water had reached all the way up to nearby homes, mostly 2-story, brick townhouses. The entire area near Avers and Carmen had been closed off to anyone other than local residents. Police barriers were blocking streets.

The rain has caused other problems around the area. The Edens was closed for hours. Access to and from O’Hare was blocked by both train and car. And motorists were stranded from Schaumburg to Naperville.

For the first time in six years, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District opened the sluice gates and locks near Navy Pier to flush storm water and sewage from the Chicago River system into Lake Michigan. The Wilmette gate of the North Shore Channel also opened, as it last did to accommodate severe flooding in August 2007. District officials late Saturday afternoon opened the O'Brien gate near 130th Street and Torrence Avenue for the first time in six years. Together the three gates released an estimated 4 billion gallons of water an hour, the district said. [Trib]

O’Hare recorded 6.63 inches of rain yesterday, breaking the record of 6.49 inches set on August 16, 1987. [Trib]

Photo by incendiarymind.