April 16, 2024
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Here's a look at how McHenry County is preparing for an 'unprecedented' flood

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By LINDSAY GLOOR

The river's cresting has set records in Wisconsin and is projected to do the same early next week at the Algonquin tailwater, where the river already was more than two feet above flood stage Saturday morning. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

The river's cresting has set records in Wisconsin and is projected to do the same early next week at the Algonquin tailwater, where the river already was more than two feet above flood stage Saturday morning. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks on Friday afternoon declared a state of emergency, and Gov. Bruce Rauner declared McHenry, Lake and Kane counties disaster areas. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

The Fox Waterway Agency shut down the entire system Friday morning. Waterway Executive Director Joe Keller called the flooding – both ongoing and what’s to come – “unprecedented.” (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

McHenry County Emergency Management Agency Chief Deputy Director Bob Ellsworth warned that the damage likely will exceed that done by the last major floods of 2008 and 2013. Keller said that homes that did not see damage in the previous flood events are now being affected by this one. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

The county has given out about 95,000 sandbags to local distribution points, Ellsworth said. Another 100,000 sandbags that the county has from the Army Corps of Engineers are being freed up, and another 100,000 are being requested from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, County Administrator Peter Austin said. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

More than 225,000 sandbags were distributed during the 2013 Fox River flood, Austin said. Sand and sandbags can be acquired at the offices of Algonquin, Burton, McHenry and Nunda townships – residents are being asked to call ahead. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

Fox River Grove public works employees will be available between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday to assist residents in filling sandbags. Sand and sandbags will be made available at the city water tower on Algonquin Road and the park at the corner of North River Road and Lincoln Avenue. Sandbags after hours can be picked up in the lobby of the police department. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

After the Fox River crests in Algonquin, it will remain at major flood stage through the rest of the week – it is expected to remain at more than 12 feet into next weekend. (Sarah Nader — snader@shawmedia.com)

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