Flash Flooding Affects 400 Illinois Homes

Aug. 15, 2019

A thunderstorm caused 5 to 7 in. of rain in areas of Granite City, Ill.

In Granite City, Ill., flash flooding has closed roads and delayed the start of the school year. According to Belleville News-Democrat, a thunderstorm caused 5 to 7 in. of rain in areas of Granite City on the night of Sunday, Aug. 11, into the morning Monday Aug. 12. The city and a number of agencies have tried to aid in the flood cleanup that has affected approximately 400 homes, according to Fox 2 Now.

“There was a deluge of water in a short time and the area couldn’t drain fast enough,” Madison County Chairman Kurt Prenzler said, according to Belleville News-Democrat. “It was storm on top of storm.”

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Disaster Relief organized 32 cleanup crews to help with damage. According to Fox 2 Now, they plan to bring in more teams from other states if needed.

“We’ll take the drywall out to four feet, all the insulation, pressure wash the house, get it dried out as best we can, and then we treat it for mold,” said Dennis Felix, a representative with the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief, according to Fox 2 Now

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned on the Chouteau Nameoki Venice Drainage District pump Tuesday, Aug. 13, to relieve the flooded areas near I-270, Illinois Route 3 and around Mitchell Road, according to Belleville News-Democrat.

Granite City Mayor Ed Hagnauer said the city is in a critical state after storm. According to the Belleville News-Democrat, he also said the city’s drainage systems were “overwhelmed.”

“It was just overwhelmed, it just could not handle it,” he said, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. “That’s not to say we won’t find issues because there are issues out there and once this is done and once we get our people helped we’ll sit down and critique this situation.”