With Fox River Rising Again, More Sandbags Piling Up
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The river has been rising again on the Fox River after Thursday's storms, and sandbagging efforts resumed Friday in Algonquin.
The Fox looks angry, flowing swiftly past the riverside intersection of Center and Willow Streets, which the swollen river has consumed; but the river is eerily silent.
Birds chirp and the sounds are those of an ordinary summer day. With the Fox expected to crest at about 13 feet on Friday, Algonquin assistant village manager Mike Kumbera said it is anything but normal, and he said the days to come will be out of the ordinary as well.
Kumbera said the Fox can be depended upon to flood every 4 to 5 years.
The Red Cross Disaster Relief truck has paid a visit to the corner of Center and Willow, but homeowners have been piling sandbags in their yards, have more ready to block the street, and said they are staying put.
The Jenson residence is closest to the river, at 8 Center Street. Sandbags have been protecting the house on three sides, but family members have given up on their yard and garage, which has been filled with water hood-high.
Neither the Jensons nor their neighbors would speak with WBBM. They said they would do so after the reporter sandbags.
More sandbagging might be needed, especially if the rain predictions hold true.
Kumbera said the village is seeking volunteers to fill sandbags between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Algonquin Public Works facility, at 110 Meyer Dr.
