Southwest Suburban Braceville Flooded After Extremely Heavy Rains
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Far southwest suburban Braceville was overwhelmed by flooding on Sunday, after more than four inches of rain fell in less than two hours.
Much of the town of Braceville was underwater Sunday. Homeowners were trying to clean up as much as they could after the storms cleared out.
Many homes were partially submerged, and several roads were underwater. Braceville Mayor Jim Homa said there's not much that can be done until the floodwaters recede.
"There's water in the house. It just started coming up from underneath the flooring. So me and my cat had to get out of the house quickly," Braceville resident Denise Steiner-Hill said.
Residents in #Braceville under water after flash flooding. pic.twitter.com/geQYp5jyhJ
— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) August 29, 2016
Angela Hall and her family were fleeing their home, where they were knee-deep in water on Sunday.
"I'm stressed out," she said.
The water came up to the top step of their front door.
"There's a step there, which you can't tell now. It was up to the step, and then it just kept rising," Hall said.
The National Weather Service estimated five inches of rain fell on Sunday in Braceville, a town of about 800 people. Much of that, nearly 4.7 inches, fell in a span of about 90 minutes.
Photo courtesy of Karen Arndt of Braceville, IL. Up to 5" of rain has fallen in that area this aftn. pic.twitter.com/YAtHysb16d
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) August 28, 2016
Dean Harding's house also was underwater after the storm.
"It just kept coming down, and down, and down," he said.
Harding was passing the time Sunday afternoon, waiting for the water to go down.
"Just out here in my camouflage, drinking a beer, and what are you gonna do?" he said. "I'm just lucky it's not coming through the floorboards."
Homa and the Grundy County Emergency Management Agency were out Sunday to assess the damage.
"It was just too much too soon, and our system couldn't handle everything," he said.
A further assessment will be made Monday to determine how to proceed in Braceville. Meantime, the city asked people to stay off the roads. If you do encounter barrels and traffic barricades, turn around, and do not try to play in the water.