WILL COUNTY, Ill. (WSVN) — Several residents were forced to evacuate their Chicago-area homes as ice jams accumulating along the river were breaking and melting.
A local emergency management team evacuated at least 14 people overnight Thursday as the water inched closer to some homes and businesses.
“This is kind of Biblical. I’ve never seen it like this in my life,” said resident Walter Wink.
Wink thankfully avoided those evacuations, but there was plenty of worry for him around midnight, as rain pushed the water right along his home. It didn’t cause any significant damage, but he said there has been some water seeping into his basement.
“This is like a ramp that goes down the water a launch ramp,” he said. “The ice was building up, but we normally see that here. The water has never come up this high before.”
A bridge was torn up from the water and ice. Police had to shut it down.
Meanwhile, business owners near the waterfront were anxious.
Lori Whited, who owns an auction company in town, shared her growing worries about the safety of their building structure.
“We’ve never seen the water come up on this side of the river. It’s always the other side, so we’re very concerned right now,” she said. “We’re gonna try to get everything out of our basement at the very least.”
Roughly 1,200 people were impacted. The Salvation Army and emergency management crews made sure people were safely evacuated and temporarily housed.
Residents across town tried to help in any way they could.
“Everybody’s just helping everybody out. They’re talking back and forth they’re asking if anybody needs help.”
Most of the ice jams had cleared as of Saturday afternoon, but a flood watch remains in effect near most rivers in the Chicago area until Monday morning.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.