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When It Rains . . .

By
Real Estate Agent with The Helen Oliveri Team

The weekend of September 12 - 14 was one Glenview residents won’t soon forget. Approximately 9.50 inches of rain fell in the Village -- the most rain falling in a single period in Chicago area since 1871. The storm and rain caused flash flooding, minor electrical outages (all 400 outages were restored quickly), and downed trees in several areas of town. Particularly vulnerable were residences in flood-prone areas and documented floodplains.

The Village’s storm water drainage systems reached capacity; most storm water detention basins exceeded capacity; the Techny Basin filled to capacity and experienced minor overflow, which affected neighborhoods adjacent to the West Fork of the Chicago Rivers’ North Branch.

As a result, several areas near the this part of the river (between Willow and Longvalley Road) were voluntarily evacuated. And, over the course of the event, ten road segments were temporarily closed.

What Did the Village Do?

Early Saturday morning, Village leadership mobilized the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate all emergency responses. In short order, off duty personnel were recalled to assist and went to work:

  • Public Works responded to calls throughout the Village, removing downed trees across roads or within detention basins, blockading impassable roads, raking out inlets, and providing sand bag stockpiling.
  • A 24-hour call center -- staffed by Village employees -- was quickly established. From September 13-15, the Center received 962 calls. Most of these were related to flooded streets and basements.
  • 9-1-1 received 610 calls between 7 a.m. September 13 and 7 a.m. September 15. Dispatch/Police Records also received 1,914 non-emergency calls.
  • Between 7 a.m., September 13 and 7 a.m., September 15 Fire/EMS and Police responded to 344 calls.
  • The Village made available 336 tons of sand for sandbagging at nine locations throughout Glenview. At Public Works, volunteers from Glenbrook South High School and the Park District helped to bag some sand; at other sites residents could bag their own. The goal was to get the sand out to neighborhoods as quickly as possible -- and waiting until all the sand was bagged would have slowed things down considerably.
  • Police Officers coordinated road closures and general community safety matters; Fire crews coordinated evacuation efforts and our emergency safety response.
  • In cooperation with the Park District, an Emergency Shelter was opened at Park Center to supplement the regional Red Cross Center in Des Plaines. On September 13, more than 30 residents took advantage of the shelter. School District 34 arranged buses to assist residents choosing to evacuate.
  • To keep residents informed, several communications links were established including the Village website, E-Glenview, Glenview Television, two door-to-door handouts, four Emergency Telephone Notification System (ETNS) announcements, and placement of “Flood Information” boxes throughout the Village.
  • The Village worked with Groot to establish a flood debris pick-up schedule -- including an extra Saturday pick up -- at no additional cost to residents.

What Was Done to Control Flooding?

Flood control is primarily a regional matter. It is under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), which is responsible for maintenance of regional waterways and controls all locks, gates and pumps along this waterway.

On Tuesday, October 21 the Village will hold a special workshop on this issue at 7 p.m. at the Police Station, 2500 East Lake Avenue.

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