Less than a week has passed since a regional super storm dumped billions of gallons of water on Illinois homes, and caused devastating floods.
Some homeowners, finally able to move about without canoes or flotation devises, are tearing apart flood ravaged homes.
Resident's of flood ravaged Forest View, where about 90 percent of the town was evacuated, compared their town to a war zone. It's an idea backed up by images of heavy machinery moving debris from place to place.
"Take a look around," said one homeowner near 46th street and Winona Avenue. "It's like war zone. It's unbelievable. People have lost everything. Their personal belongings, their houses everything. It's just devastating."
Another homeowner couldn't hold back tears.
"My daughter's bedroom was in there ... our bedroom." she said. "It's just hard to see. You put all of your heart and dedication into making it a home and ... look at it, it's all out on the street."
Unfortunately for these residents who live along the Des Plaines river, and others in flood zones, the worst may not yet be over.
The U.S. Geological Survey says its field crews are measuring record flooding on Illinois rivers and streams. The federal agency said Tuesday that it expects more record levels as flooding moves downstream. It says its crews are expected to track flood waters down the Illinois River, Rock River and major tributaries. More than 50 of the survey's streamgages are at or above flood levels after last week's rains.
The USGS says it shares its data with the National Weather Service for flood forecasts and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control management. State and local agencies also use the data for flood response efforts.
