I think I'm still in shock, as I haven't cried yet. I'm trying hard to keep my mind from fixating on loss, but it's tough.
2008 has been a difficult year for us for many reasons. Paul had spinal surgery early in the year, then he was beset with shingles, a miserable and painful disorder, then a "bone contusion" in his foot. He was still having problems with his neck and arm, but I had been feeling that we perhaps had gotten over the worst of it.
But then came Saturday the 13th of September.
Friday the 12th was my birthday. My husband and I hadn't had much of a celebration as he had to work until 8, but he was hoping to get out by 5-6 o'clock on Saturday so we could go out for pizza. I was looking forward to it, as we really needed a "date".
I was sitting in my lovely family room Saturday afternoon watching reports of the destruction of Hurricane Ike, and I was going to meet one of my friends for coffee. Just as I was about to leave, I got an automated call from the city of Chicago: "Please remove your cars from the street as we are going to begin sandbaggging efforts." Sandbagging? I knew it had been raining, but sandbags?
Our Albany Park / North Park Neighborhood
We live near a small branch (the North Branch) of the Chicago River... The river is nothing more than a small picturesque stream as it runs by the bicycle path and the park at the end of the block. It's a beautiful neighborhood, one of the best affordable neighborhoods in the city. Single family homes, parks and trees and the little river give the neighborhood a suburban feel. The neighborhood is vital and ethnically mixed, close to public transportation, and it is safe and quiet. Perfect in so many ways and beautiful.
Our basement is completely finished as a family room/bedroom .... recessed lighting, wall-to-wall carpeting, painted walls, full finished bath. My son (17 when we moved) has his bedroom upstairs, on the main level, and we were downstairs.. plenty of privacy for all of us. When we were househunting three years ago and saw the rehabbed brick home with a finished basement... half a block from that
beautiful little stream..., we knew we were home!
We carefully investigated the flood potential of that little stream, and we were consistently reassured. No, we are not on a flood plain. The inspector thought our sewer and drainage system was excellent. The people who lived on the street, a street of solid brick homes all built 50 years ago, assured us that they had not any flooding. Plus we are higher than the park just a block away... and we are higher than the people who lived on the block south of the river.
The Albany Park flood begins Saturday afternoon
Back to Saturday... I looked out the front of our house to the street... It was steadily raining, but there was no evidence of anything amiss. I ran out the back of the house to the alley and down to the river to see what was going on... and my heart sank. I was astonished and terrified to see that the pretty little stream had blown its banks and had crept higher up the embankment than I had ever seen it. I walked over to the bridge and saw that the houses to the south of the river were inundated.
The river had expanded to fill half of the 5000 block of Monticello.
While people were sandbagging, the water was rising faster than the bags could be filled. City tow trucks were pulling out cars that were stuck in the rising waters.
The water was washing up approximately one foot against the home that was closest to the stream on the south side of the river. The bicycle path was submerged on the other side of the bridge and impassable. Only the tops of the park benches poked their heads out of the water.
What I hadn't known was that the rain on Friday night and Saturday morning was the heaviest ever recorded in Chicago. And it had come down fast!
On Saturday afternoon it was still raining; the river was still rising. Where would it stop?
North Branch of the Chicago River: Next part of the Albany Park flood story
(Click on the pictures for the full effect.)
More pictures at Flickr:
Flood pictures at Flickr
Next part of the Albany Park flood story
Why did this area get hit the hardest? There are other areas along the river. In fact there are houses along the river near Diversey and Western(near Diversey Bowl), but we didn't here about this area getting flooded. Also, is global warming leading to record rainfalls. These flood walls people mention on this blog do they have them elsewhere, and if so, how effective are they. This is unfortunate to have happened to the people of Albany Park.
ReplyDeleteWow.. I never saw this comment which was written almost two years ago. The river is much wider and deeper near Diversey and Western and the houses there are built higher over the river. Because the river here is usually so narrow and so shallow, some houses are built right up against it. That's the only thing that makes much sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI am looking to buy a house in near foster and virginia. Was that area flooded during the flood? I couldn't find any map of the 2008 flood.
ReplyDeleteI just saw your comment this evening... No, Foster and Virginia did not flood. The houses near the Chicago Channel are built much higher over the Channel than the houses here. The area that flooded was strictly Albany Park and the west part of North Park.
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