Sears Tower...Friday I think.
Sears Tower...Friday I think.
By Ben Bradley
August 3, 2003 — A torrential downpour hit the Chicago area as many people were enjoying their Sunday afternoon The gutters and storm drains could hardly keep up. The rain came up quickly and caught many people off guard. Without their umbrellas, many ran for cover. ComEd reported an estimated 20,000 customers, half of those in Chicago, were without power following the Sunday storms.
An ally near 18th & Paulina on the city's South Side, torn up for repaving, quickly flooded during the downpour. One man drove his station wagon into the water-covered ally and the car sank up to axel in mud.
Because crews had been working on the ally some of the pavement peeled away during the rain, which enabled the water to go rushing right into the lower level of a building.
Residents were bailing water by the bucket load, dumping it into the street until the building's ancient sewer system could catch up.
"It's been damaged from upstairs to the first floor. And we have equipment here," Nicandro Diaz said.
The water rushed in from the ally where city-sponsored construction work is only partially complete. "One day they touched the foundation or some part of the house, and because of that, with all of the rain and the storm, water went into my basement and now I have a flood in my basement," Carina Diaz said.
To his credit, an inspector from the city's building department was on the scene very quickly. He promised the families that he would look into how the city can help. They had a sump pump in the building, but it was overwhelmed by all the water that came rushing in from the ally.
The torrential downpours caused problems all over the city and suburbs. On the Kennedy Expressway near Wilson, the rain brought traffic to a stand still, with high-standing water closing several lanes.
In the northwest suburbs, wind whipped through a neighborhood festival toppling some tents and booths.
The weather also caused some slowdowns at Chicago's airports. At O'Hare flights were delayed up to 90 minutes. At Midway the delay was between 30 and 60 minutes
This has been a stormy summer for Chicagoans. The damage for some is taking its toll.
We had 3" + in about 55 minutes in my area! Will County is under a flashflood warning until 5am and yep this could repeat tomomorrow!