Politics & Government
More than 1,000 Downers Grove Residents, Businesses Report Flooding
A report published Tuesday by the village of Downers Grove details the widespread impact of the April 17-18 storm event.
More than 1,000 Downers Grove homes and businesses flooded during the torrential rains that slammed the Chicago area last week, according to a report published Tuesday by village staff.
The storms, which began April 17 and continued through the morning April 18, brought more than 7 inches of rain to some parts of DuPage County, and caused widespread flooding to roadways, residential homes and businesses.
In Downers Grove, the impact was immediate. The village's storm sewer system reached capacity at approximately 3:30 a.m. April 18, when the National Weather Service reported the heaviest rains. Storm water detention facilities overflowed around 4 a.m. and did not recovered until the rain tapered off in the afternoon, officials said.
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Downers Grove Village Manager David Fieldman outlined the village's response to the flooding in a detailed report to the council and Mayor Martin Tully on Tuesday. The memo includes a timeline of the storms, a summary of the village's communication efforts, and maps of flooded streets, homes and businesses. (See attached PDF.)
In addition to the many flooded roadways that caused traffic delays and school closings, village staff also received more than 1,000 reports of flooding at residential and commercial properties, the memo states.
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In many cases, residents had water coming up through their toilets and sump-pump drains, which occurred after storm water infiltrated the Downers Grove Sanitary District's sewer system, officials said.
More than 1,000 calls were received through the 911 dispatch center, Village Hall and the Downers Grove Public Works facility over the course of the storm. Dispatch received to 923 non-emergency calls and responded to another 292, while village staff fielded calls and emails from about 675 residents.
Fieldman said the village opened its emergency operations center at Fire Station No. 2 immediately after the storm water system overflowed, around 4:30 a.m. The mayor declared states of emergency and disaster around 6:15 a.m., which granted Fieldman the authority to schedule staff according to emergency procedures and purchase goods and services beyond his regular purchasing authority.
According to the report, the village will be charged about $150,000 by its contracted waste management company, Republic Services, for a special pickup of flood waste and debris. Fieldman also authorized additional street sweeping for $2,050 and the purchase of miscellaneous emergency response supplies (barricades, boots, waders, hand sanitizers, etc.) for about $1,100.
As of Tuesday, the village had received about 650 responses to an online flood assessment survey, the results of which will be forwarded to the Federal Emergency Management Association to determine whether relief funding might become available. The survey will remain available on the village's website until further notice.
READ: Village of Downers Grove Extends Deadline on Flood Damage Survey
The cleanup effort, which has been underway since Friday, will continue through the week as the village works to remove any remaining debris and assess damage. Staff will also review data related to the storm and resulting floods in order to prepare recommendations for improvements to the village storm water management infrastructure, Fieldman said.
Downers Grove Flood by the Numbers
- 1,000+ - Residential and commercial properties that flooded April 17-18
- 850 - People affected by power outages on Highland Avenue and Finley Road, from Butterfield Road to 39th Street, and the area near Ogden and Saratoga avenues
- 923 - Non-emergency calls received by 911 dispatch
- 292 - Calls for service and assistance received by 911 dispatch
- 675 - Residents who called or emailed the village with reports of flooding in their homes or on roadways
- 90 - Calls that required response from the Downers Grove Police Department between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., many of which were for disabled vehicles and traffic complaints
- 68 - Vehicles disabled due to flooding
- 57 - Calls that required response from the Downers Grove Fire Department between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. The department responded to numerous fire alarms and flood reports, rescued a family by boat and turned off gas to some residential homes.
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