Morton Grove: 190 Homes File Flooding Surveys

Within a short window of time last week, the village of Morton Grove asked residents whose homes flooded on April 18 to fill out flood surveys.

Roughly 190 homeowners filled out the surveys, said Morton Grove Fire Department Chief Tom Friel.

Friel cautioned these homeowners that they have not put in a claim for flood damages. Instead, the purpose of the survey was to help Cook County officials gauge whether the county as a whole suffered approximately $18 million in flood damages. If that threshold was met, the county can apply for federal disaster aid. Whether they would receive it, even if the threshold is met, is yet unknown.

"If people didn't report it, it doesn't mean they are shut out of reporting at a later date," Friel explained.

Of the 190 homes which reported damage, Friel estimated 95 percent are on the east side of Morton Grove. 

"There was very little in claims from the west side," he said. "The Mansfield Park area got hit hard." 

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Morton Grove experienced a similar situation during the flooding in September 2008, as well as back in 1988-89, before the construction of the Deep Tunnel project granted some relief, Friel said.

This year, on April 18 at around 6 a.m., water was high enough that a fire department engine en route to answering a call stalled out its engine. It was repaired by Public Works.

The department did not get any pleas for rescue due to the flooding, Friel said. It does not own any boats, but relies on shared assets in the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), in which member fire departments help each other out.

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