Journal & Topics Media Group

Park Ridge Hit Hard By Storms

Flooding Occurs Throughout City On Labor Day

Police blocked Touhy Avenue between Cumberland and Summit avenues due to high-standing water in the Touhy viaduct under the Union Pacific Railroad. Two vehicles became stuck in the water. (Tom Wessell/Journal photo)

Park Ridge got hit hard Monday afternoon, when the hot steamy Labor Day weather shifted and several inches of rain dumped down over the city.

Deputy Police Chief Duane Mellema said it was an unusual storm, traveling across the city on a different angle, with water falling in unexpected places.

He said the courtyard outside the police station on the lower level of City Hall was suddenly full of about 18 inches of water, which started seeping in the station.

Mellema said it wasn’t just the office carpeting which got wet. The station is cramped for desk space and there were electrical power strips that had to be rescued.

They called Servicemaster to arrange for cleanup help.

Because the department had extra people on duty for the morning’s proposed march to O’Hare, there were some more people to call on for help.

The water came down so quickly, it trapped people who were calling to volunteer to help, in the wrong places for the next couple of hours till the sewers could catch up.

At one point, Mellema said, the water in the Touhy Avenue viaduct was almost as high as the tops of cars. Based on prior memorable storms, Park Ridge drivers know better than to try to swim with their cars under the tracks.

Paul Lisowski, the executive officer for the fire department, said their crews helped to rescue some cars which were stuck in water on the roadways, but no people were trapped.

He said they also got help on the northeast end of the city from the Niles Fire Department, because they were getting simultaneous distress calls all over the city.

More water than usual hit the south end of the city.

Ald. Marty Joyce (7th) said water at Granville and Canfield was worse than usual, and at one point Canfield south of Devon, had water cresting across most of the street. And there were the “usual” places, he added.

At the South Park Recreation Center, where the west playing field often becomes a temporary lake in major floods, Park Dist. Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Terry Wolf reported the lower level of the building “took on some water.”

The district canceled Tuesday’s gymnastics class in the building.

The water rose to knee high at Morgan Park in Park Ridge as one resident tries to unclog a storm drain Monday, Sept. 3, 2018. (Tom Wessell/Journal photo)

On the city’s northeastern streets, Ald. John Moran (1st), chairman of the Public Works Committee, said he had driven around for several hours.

He said one part of Michael John Terrace near Northeast Park was badly affected. Anyone with driveways sloping down toward their garage also had potential problems, Moran reported,

Ald. Gail Wilkening (3rd) knows her ward well, as a long time resident. Her constituents include residents in a flood prone neighborhood downhill and west of Greenwood.

She said the flooding along Greenwood between Busse and Northwest Highway was hard to navigate.

“I’ve never seen it so bad there.”

Construction is still continuing on “The Sheridan,” a new assisted living facility along Greenwood at Northwest Highway, replacing a former car dealership. The highway and Greenwood are a place where three sewer lines converge, a concern in the 3rd Ward.

Wilkening said Western was impassible from Northwest Highway to Laverne.

Greenwood and Delphia were flooded and a manhole cover popped out with the water pressure. She tried to flag down a passing fire truck for help, but they had to respond to a call.

Nevertheless, she added, “It was bad, but I’ve seen it far worse in the past.”

A lot of it was “neighbor helping neighbor,” reported Jim Fizzell. He says heavy rains are a frequent problem on Garden Street, a block south of Touhy between Cumberland and Greenwood,

Rev. Matthew Hoffman from St. Andrews Lutheran and others were out trying to unplug a clogged sewer on Garden where water was filling the streets up to houses’ front steps.

“I am proud to see many good neighbor cleanup efforts underway where folks are offering up labor and tools to help each other during stressful times like this,” said Ald, Charlie Melidosian (5th).

“There are the typical complaints about the city not doing enough, how new construction causes the flooding and the perpetual myth how the sewers fill and then magically drain as if someone opens a switch to allow the water to flow.

“The city of Park Ridge has made significant improvements in flood control through increased efforts in sewer lining and cleanings,” he told the Journal. “That has avoided a significant amount of flooding in recent heavy rainfalls.

“With the recent commitment of approximately $100 million in new flood control projects, we are well on our way to reducing flooding even further.

“Having said that, there isn’t a flood proof solution. Homeowners are encouraged to update their properties to prevent overland and sewer backup flooding.”

The city website includes reports on flood areas and remediation discussions, and things to do to address concerns or reach city staff.

Rev. Matt Hoffman frrom St. Andrews Lutheran and Ken Kua try to unplug the drain at Garden and Greenwood (just south of Touhy) on Monday. Water filled the streets up past the curbs. (Photo courtesy Jim Fizzell)

Support local news by subscribing to the Journal & Topics in print or online.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.