Residents who live along the Kankakee River in parts of Will and Grundy counties are hoping for the best and fearing for the worst as massive ice jams sent frigid water pouring into neighborhoods this week, NBC Chicago’s Evrod Cassimy reports.
Residents who live along the Kankakee River in parts of Will and Grundy counties are hoping for the best and fearing for the worst as massive ice jams sent frigid water pouring into neighborhoods this week.
Looking out her window, Jean Walsh tells NBC Chicago she’s praying for the Wilmington area as ice jams and flooding threaten her home.
“I pray for the people around here and their houses,” she said.
The extreme cold and snow caused ice jams to form on multiple portions of the river this week, stretching east and west of Interstate 55.
Walsh and her neighbors on Cottage Road said they’re concerned about flooding once the ice begins to thaw.
“My husband said it was moving as fast as a freight train and just a little while later it stopped so it jammed up down yonder,” she said.
Several residents near the Kankakee River have left their homes as flooding conditions are expected to persist for several more days with temperatures remaining below freezing.
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The Will County Emergency Management Agency said one siphon was activated to pump warm water into the river from a nearby power plant cooling lake to help break up the ice, and that more could be activated depending on conditions.
“I just hope that the warm water will start melting underneath and let it go by,” she said.
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Officials said a flash flood watch has been issued for Will and Grundy Counties until temperatures rise above freezing in the next week.
Areas impacted by flash flooding include, Phelan Acres subdivision, Cottage Road, Kelly & Phillips Road, Whalen Place, Blodgett Road, New River Road, and Macintosh Acres, according to officials with the National Weather Service.
“I think it’s going to be bad for some,” said Wilmington resident Joe Broadwell. “I don’t know if its going to be bad for me yet.”
While evacuation orders have not been issued, some residents are preparing for the worst. The Wilmington Public Works Department has opened a sandbag filling station in the parking lot of city hall for residents.
“It’s all in God’s hands so all we can do is hope and pray that everything works out it’s not done yet,” said Broadwell.
