I-55 closed between US-6 & I-80 in Channahon due to flooding; anticipated to last one day or more

April 19, 2013 (DES PLAINES, Ill.)

One of the hardest hit areas is west suburban Forest View. Homes, businesses and even the police department were overcome by water. Many people were trapped in their homes and had to be rescued by boat Friday morning.

In nearby Stickney, until the flood waters crest, all residents in the southwest suburb can do is worry and wait.

"The neighborhood is like my family," said Stickney resident Leslie Sage. "I'm scared for all if us right now."

It's worse in Forest View, where entire blocks are underwater.

Forest View's fire department is flooded. With the help of neighboring fire districts, they've set up shop in an elementary school for now.

In the northern suburbs, a state of emergency was declared Friday in Lisle after at least 7 inches of rain soaked the village.

One man had to be rescued after he got stranded in his truck.

Residents at the Towers of Four Lakes Village apartment complex were evacuated to escape all the rising water.

"We have an indoor parking garage and every single car, completely flooded," area resident William Martin said.

Lisle and Woodridge fire officials went door-to-door checking to see if any other residents were trapped inside their homes. And volunteers have been sandbagging this saturated community.

Displaced residents were taking refuge at Benedictine University and did not know whether they will return home.

Des Plaines resident Jose Perez says the water flooding in his basement continued to rise Friday even though the rain had stopped. Down the road, the Des Plaines River continues to swell.

As most people wait for the water to recede, 23 Des Plaines residents have been evacuated from their homes. Friday morning, voluntary evacuations were being offered at the Big Bend subdivision. Boats and a military style all-terrain truck are on standby as emergency crews brace to break a flood record.

Emergency management officials in Des Plaines closed several main roads because of flooding and set up sandbag stations for residents still battling the waters.

Acting mayor Mark Walsten told people Friday morning to stay home.

Even farther north, in Wisconsin, state officials shut down a five-mile stretch of Highway 50 in Kenosha County because of flooding of the nearby Fox River.

The highway was closed Friday morning from about Highway 83 in Wheatland to Highway 75 near Paddock Lake.

Lindsay Schmidt of the state Department of Transportation says the closure is indefinite but the highway isn't likely to reopen before Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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