O'Hare Terminals Drying Out After Torrential Rains
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two days after a storm soaked O'Hare Airport, signs of the deluge are still easy to spot.
Water cascaded into the terminals on Labor Day. CBS 2 went back to O'Hare to see how this major international airport is drying out.
On Tuesday, CBS 2 spotted a passenger navigating between an obstacle course of yellow signs and black bins to catch the water.
On Wednesday, some remained, but not as many.
It's an improvement over Monday when boats would have felt at home alongside the planes, carts glided through the water.
Passengers gingerly squished their way to and from the gates. How does the Chicago Department of Aviation stop the water from entering the terminals?
"It's a bit of a wake-up call just how obsolete some O'Hare facilities are," said DePaul transportation expert Joe Schwieterman about the effects less than two inches of rain had on O'Hare.
"I think we're all surprised that something as basic as heavy rain can bring down one of the busiest airports in the world. It was a bad storm, but this was not a tornado," said Schwieterman.
On Tuesday, an employee mopped up as passengers try to move around him and the water.
On Wednesday, the mop is gone but a sawhorse, caution signs and loud equipment remain.
Outside, it's sunny blue skies but some bins still have water in them, two days after the rain.
"A modern airport should be able to withstand rain better than this," said Schwieterman.
CBS 2 found no fewer than four moving walkways closed. And that's just before security.
The Chicago Department of Aviation wouldn't say if the rain had anything to do with the broken moving sidewalks.
And as for all the dripping water?
The department said that heavy rain caused flooding at the airport and that ''staff worked quickly to address the situation.''