Chicago Weather: Heavy rain floods expressways, stranding cars; pours into basements
PARK RIDGE, Ill. (WLS) -- Heavy rain overnight and in into Friday morning led flooding on Chicago area expressways, with cars being stuck in high standing water, and in residents' homes.
About two feet of water stood in the basement of one Lincolnwood home after the storms cleared out.
"We usually get some flooding but last night was a lot," said Lincolnwood resident Abe Yaghmour. "I thought it was just going to be a little flooding, but it kept going until like 1 a.m. We asked some of our neighbors do they have a pump to suck the water out of the basement, because there was nowhere to go."
Several of his neighbors were also pumping water out of their basements and tossing their damaged belongings on the curb for pickup.
"We weren't expecting it," said Osman Kausar. "We had some paperwork and other things down there which was very important."
A Park Ridge neighborhood was underwater, too, Friday. When it receded, residents were left drying out their basements.
Andrew Erickson spent the night pumping water out from his basement. He watched it fill quickly as heavy storms rolled though just after 12:30 a.m.
"This time we ended up having about 18 inches of water, just frustration for the most part," he said.
Erickson lives on North Lincoln Avenue in Park Ridge. It was obvious how bad the flooding was there. Multiple homeowners, like Keith Klein, were also dealing with at least a foot of water in the basement, and this isn't the first time this has happened.
"Over 30 years and four floods, I ain't got nothing that's damaged no more because it's all gone because I had to throw it away," Klein said.
O'Hare Airport recorded 3.52 inches of rain Thursday and 2.36 inches of rain were recorded at Midway Airport.
The Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook was also underwater Friday afternoon.
On the Edens Expressway in Lincolnwood, but several cars had gotten stuck in the water near Pratt Avenue. One family waited on top of their car until firefighters came to rescue them through their back window.
Thunder and lightning flashed through the sky over the city as well. Even though people are encouraged not to drive through standing water, several cars were seen driving through flooded viaducts near Lake Shore Drive.
On the South Side, firefighters helped a man when his car got stuck in all that water because the rain was coming down so fast.
Puro Clean Restoration Company said calls poured in Friday morning.
"We have been so busy," said MIndi Newman, Puro Clean. "I started getting calls around five this morning. We were up to 50 calls within two hours. Last time I checked we were up to 100 calls. These guys are working so hard."
"We'll live. Things can be replaced. Family is safe and that's all that matters to me," Erickson said.
