Cleanup begins after Chicago rains
0 Comments | Telegraph – Herald; Dubuque, Iowa, Jul 27, 2010 | by Sophia Tareen
CHICAGO – Kathy Sullivan waited on a sidewalk near her flood- damaged condo building on the Chicago River with garbage bags full of clothes and other belongings she could quickly gather.
The Chicago woman, who works for a suburban financial company, was among some 1,500 people evacuated from the landmark River City building after near-record rainfall over the weekend flooded lower levels, including a garage with nearly 100 cars.
She planned to live temporarily in a hotel with her husband, but their future was uncertain. “We don’t know what to do.”
More than seven inches quickly fell in portions of northern Illinois on Friday and Saturday, hitting the western suburbs and the River City apartment complex in Chicago the hardest.
Residents of the honeycomb-like building scrambled to find other living arrangements on Monday, while crews repaired the building’s marina and towed soot-covered cars from the garage.