Written by Pam DeFiglio
A heavy early morning storm Wednesday left parts of Niles and Morton Grove with standing water, impassable streets and flooded basements.
It was deja vu all over again from the April 18 flooding.
The flooding patterns weren't exactly the same, though.
"Every flood is a little different," said Morton Grove Village Administrator Ryan Van Horne, observing that in April, the river seemed to have more of an effect.
In Morton Grove, Dempster was open Wednesday, while its two feet of water on April 18 closed it to traffic.
On Wednesday, street flooding was worse to the west, in Park Ridge and Niles, and lighter in Morton Grove and Skokie.
Earlier: Why More Niles Homes Didn't Flood
Skokie Deputy Police Chief Michael Pechter theorized that the April 18 storm may have been a wakeup call to many residents to buy--or maintain-a sump pump, and consequently more sump pumps worked this time.
In Niles, Village Manager Steve Vinezeano said village staff spent much of Wednesday talking with residents who flooded. The village board has approved spending $15 million for the first phase of a stormwater relief program, but it's still in the planning stages.
"This rain was horrible and caused many of our residents to be very frustrated," he wrote in an email to Patch.
"These heavy rains have become the norm and our old sewers cannot handle them at all.
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"And I understand why they are upset. These projects, put in place a year ago with a funding mechanism, are not done yet. They want to see shovels in the ground now. Not a year from now when they are engineered.
"This is simply a fight with mother nature and she seems to be winning. At the end of the day, our goal is to win the war."
Did your home flood? Tell us about it in the comments, below.
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