Hours after touring Gurnee flood zone, Rauner issues disaster declaration for Lake County

July 15--Gov. Bruce Rauner toured flooded areas in Lake County on Friday as officials warned that the worst is yet to come in some areas, with the potential for record flooding along the Fox and Des Plaines rivers.

While some anticipated the governor might declare the county a disaster area when he went to Gurnee around 10:45 a.m. to survey the damage and meet with local officials, he initially did not, drawing criticism from two local Democratic legislators.

Rauner used his visit to Gurnee to warn people that the flooding threat is not over yet, though he added that at this point, he has determined there is no need for a state declaration of disaster for Lake County.

Following Rauner's appearance, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Round Lake Beach, and state Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, responded with a statement questioning the lack of a disaster proclamation.

"Lake County residents have been working to pick up the pieces after major flash floods hit the area," the statement read. "The governor has not declared a state of emergency for Lake County, so residents with devastating property damage and no flood insurance have been unable to get access to low-interest loans that help people rebuild."

Both Yingling and Bush elaborated on the statement Friday around 12:30 p.m. while touring flood-damaged Murphy Elementary School in Round Lake Park.

"It was nice he realized that Lake County was under water," Yingling said. "I think he was caught asleep at the wheel."

"The governor shouldn't have to ask to help -- he should be a leader," said Bush. "He needed to be here."

Around 5 p.m., Rauner's office issued a statement that a state disaster proclamation had been issued not only for Lake but for Kane and McHenry counties.

"These counties were hit with flash and river flooding caused by more than seven inches of rain over a couple of days," Rauner said in the statement. "The first responders have done a tremendous job protecting public health and safety. IEMA has been working closely with the emergency managers in these counties.

"This proclamation will ensure that we continue to provide whatever assistance is needed now and in the coming days as they begin recovery efforts."

Bush and Yingling both pointed out that the flooding in the Round Lake area has come mainly from localized flooding, since there is no major river nearby like the Des Plaines or the Fox. They said most people do not have flood insurance because they are not in a floodplain.

"I don't think he gets it," Bush said prior to Rauner's proclamation. "People can't get low interest federal loans unless the state declares the area a disaster. (It's) about homeowners and business people."

"It's sad," said Yingling. "I talked to some insurance people, and they said only a quarter of the people with insurance are going to receive the help they need. (Many) of these people are not rich and can't get a home equity line of credit."

"They don't live in Wilmette," Bush injected, referring to Rauner's hometown on the North Shore.

In their joint statement before the proclamation was issued, Bush and Yingling said they "urge Governor Rauner to do what (Wisconsin) Governor Walker has already done, declare a state of emergency and call in the National Guard to provide much-needed relief to flood victims. Lake County residents need this help immediately."

During his mid-morning stop in Gurnee, Rauner said state officials came to work with local officials to assess the damage.

"This is an important visit to get the word out that it's not going to get better, the crest has still not arrived," he said, adding that there could be more evacuations and urging people to listen to the first responders if they ask residents to evacuate.

"Please heed their request. Don't stay in your home," he said. "We want you safe. There's been no loss of life or injuries at this point."

Rauner's disaster proclamation statement added that he also directed Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Director James K. Joseph to activate the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) "as needed over the weekend and into next week to coordinate any requests for assistance from flood-impacted communities."

During his Gurnee appearance, the governor said the state has responded to all requests by Lake County, and the only thing that was requested was 100,000 sandbags, which were delivered this week. In his later statement, he amended that number to 350,000 sandbags, and added that "another 250,000 sandbags and plastic" were being sent to an Illinois Department of Transportation yard in northern Illinois.

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said during Rauner's visit that she was confident the governor would eventually declare an emergency.

"It has to be based on the whole county, not just my area," she said.

Kovarik also highlighted the various improvements the village has been part of over the years to mitigate flood damage, such as moving Gurnee Grade School from Kilbourne Road just east of the Des Plaines River.

"That used to cost $300,000 to sandbag," she said, adding that the police station was also moved, and over the years, the village has purchased 26 homes in the floodplain and demolished them.

"We budget for it every year," she said. "We will always talk to a willing seller."

Kovarik also said the village gets a better rate on its insurance because of those improvements, earning points through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor declared a state of emergency in the county Wednesday, but the governor also received some criticism Thursday for not publicly responding sooner or visiting the area until Friday.

Rauner said the state has not deployed assistance from the National Guard because Lake County has not used up all its resources, and he repeatedly praised first responders for their work.

"I'm not here to grandstand or get in the way," he said. "The flooding is not over, and we need to get the word out."

Rauner mentioned www.ready.Illinois.gov as a website that gives advice after residents have been flooded. He also urged people to use Lake County PASSAGE, a website that shows road closures that is run by the county.

On Friday, the entire Chain O' Lakes system was ordered closed to its 23,000 registered boats in anticipation of record high water levels.

State officials ordered the Fox River and lakes closed from the Wisconsin border to Algonquin Road, to prevent boat wakes from washing over sandbags and into homes.

The Des Plaines River near Gurnee was more than 4 feet above flood stage as of Friday evening and was expected to crest at or near record levels Saturday night, the National Weather Service predicted.

Conditions along the Fox River and the Chain O' Lakes also are expected to get worse, said Bob Ellsworth, chief deputy of the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency.

New Munster, Wis., upstream on the Fox River, crested at a record 6.5 feet above flood stage Thursday, 2 feet above its previous record, the National Weather Service reported. That water will flow into the Chain O' Lakes and bring record flooding there.

"Everything on the Chain is still rising," Ellsworth said. "It's going to impact areas we haven't seen impacted in quite a while."

In McHenry County, the hardest hit areas are the village of Algonquin and Nunda Township. They were getting help from other public works departments to fill sand bags and distribute them to the public to protect homes and businesses.

The Fox River in Algonquin normally can drain about 7,500 cubic feet of water per second, but officials are expecting almost twice that much coming into the system, or 13,500 cubic feet per second.

The system narrows like an hourglass near Johnsburg so it wells up and overflows, Fox Waterway Agency Director Joe Keller said.

Hundreds of people have called to report objects like unattended boats, docks, trees and patio furniture floating away in the rising tide, he said. Efforts were underway to free two boats that were stuck under the Route 12 bridge in Fox Lake.

The agency, which normally dredges the waterway, has boats patrolling to monitor and take out large objects, including football field-sized floating islands of cattails and other plants that can clog the system.

The river will likely be shut down for at least a week, he said, and it will take weeks to clean up.

In Fox Lake, water had risen a foot above the docks at Chain O' Lakes Marina. Workers were raising the height of posts on the piers to keep boats tied down, co-owner Steve Moulis said.

Owners with boats at their homes on the river often raise their boats above water level, but the flooding forced them to take the boats out or risk having them float away or get damaged.

The family-owned marina, which has been operating since 1952, takes care of about 150 boats. The shop was under about eight inches of water, and workers raised everything inside off the floor onto shelves and cinder blocks. The workers had tried sandbagging during the last big flood in 2013, but the water got in anyway.

This year's boating season got a late start because of the wet, cold June, and now it will likely be shut down for another week or two.

"This is a real letdown, because the season was just taking off," Moulis said. "Now it's come to a screeching halt."

The flooding also caused the evacuation of 250 guests and employees at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort Wednesday, and the closure of its theater. A hotel official said the hotel wasn't expected to reopen until Wednesday.

Lake Forest Hospital, where nearly 100 patients were evacuated late Wednesday following a weather-related power outage, remained closed on Friday.

Frank Abderholden in a News-Sun reporter; Robert McCoppin is a Chicago Tribune reporter.

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