With Thawing Expected, Officials Urge Residents To Keep Street Drains Clear
(CBS) -- With this week's warm-up, there's already serious concern in several communities about flooding.
They're prepping in Elgin.
"We're real concerned about because the amount of snow that we've had has built up over the winter," Elgin Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry Bruce tells CBS 2's Brad Edwards.
At the Elgin Fire Department, it's been a season-long fight against the elements -- from digging out hydrants encased in ice to –- now – sounding the siren to residents, asking them to keep street drains clear.
They use Google's "street view" to detect potential problem areas.
Similar concerns are felt in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. In fact, some already have sandbags out.
"I see that it's warming up drastically, which means all of this snow is going to melt, into the rivers. It's going to cause problems," home owner Michael Najjarpour says.
Chicago Water Department officials are also stressing the importance of keeping storm drains clear. They urge residents to lend a hand, or at least call 3-1-1 to tip off work crews if they see a problem.
Manuel Longoria of Lansing was ahead of the game, scraping snow off a street drain in Lansing.
"It's a chore," he tells CBS 2's Pamela Jones.
Temperatures are expected to rise to above-freezing levels Tuesday and into the upper-40s in the middle of the week. Thawing is expected.