 | Watseka Flooding ~ ABC7 Watseka flooding watseka flood Watseka residents Francis and Janet Rabideau escaped from their home at 469 W. Mulberry Street with only one momence flooding pontiac flooding milford flooding sheldon flooding piece of carry-on luggage and a paper bag. They woke up with a small puddle in their back yard and ended up being rescued by boat a few hours later after the water rose up to their front door. "It's just what we had to have real quick," said Rabideau, who placed priority on her husband's prescriptions. Worries left behind Watseka resident Cisco Torres, 24, worries about the pet rotweiller he had to leave behind at his home on 216 N. 6th Street during the boat rescue. While he left plenty of food, he's uncertain when he'll be able to return. The welfare of the dog, the damage to his car and the lack of flood insurance for his belongings are all big concerns. While his house is covered, the contents of the home are not, according to Torres. "Until we go in there, we won't know," said Torres. "The water was over our feet when we left." UPDATE: Watseka Police Chief Roger Lebeck said the dusk-to-dawn curfew will be in effect again tonight for flooded and barricaded areas of the city. Rapidly rising water near the Iroquois River has caused around a dozen families to voluntarily evacuate their homes in the River Road area southeast of Kankakee and at Shannon Road in Aroma Park. Sgt. Craig Long of Kankakee County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency expected that residents would evacuate about 10 mobile homes in the old Mook Mobile Home Court, along River Road at 6000S. Rescue workers, boats and sandbags were rushed to towns hit by flooding that has killed one person and forced hundreds from their homes in east-central Illinois _ the latest twist in a week of turbulent weather that included a rare January tornado. About 200 Iroquois County residents left their homes when the Iroquois River spilled its banks, and boats and officers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources helped with the evacuation. In Pontiac, where flooding drove about 25 people from their homes, Mayor Scott McCoy captured the dramatic rescue of a woman from the Vermilion River on videotape Tuesday. "My heart was pumping. My first thought was, 'I'm going to jump in and get her if I have to,'" McCoy told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The city used school buses to evacuate flooded houses and some residents took shelter in the city's recreational center while they waited for the river to recede. At least one person died in flooding caused by heavy rainfall earlier in the week. The Ford County coroner said Bradley Swan, 24, of Paxton, died Tuesday morning at a Gibson City hospital. Rescuers pulled him from a submerged vehicle after it was swept from a road into a flooded field. Paxton, about 25 miles north of Champaign, received more than 3.5 inches of rain earlier in the week. |
 | Watseka Flood Victims ~ WCIA3 Watseka flooding watseka flood Watseka residents Francis and Janet Rabideau escaped from their home at 469 W. Mulberry Street with only one piece of carry-on luggage and a paper bag. They woke up with a small puddle in their back yard and ended up being rescued by boat a few hours later after the water rose up to their front door. "It's just what we had to have real quick," said Rabideau, who placed priority on her husband's prescriptions. Worries left behind Watseka resident Cisco Torres, 24, worries about the pet rotweiller he had to leave behind at his home on 216 N. 6th Street during the boat rescue. While he left plenty of food, he's uncertain when he'll be able to return. The welfare of the dog, the damage to his car and the lack of flood insurance for his belongings are all big concerns. While his house is covered, the contents of the home are not, according to Torres. "Until we go in there, we won't know," said Torres. "The water was over our feet when we left." UPDATE: Watseka Police Chief Roger Lebeck said the dusk-to-dawn curfew will be in effect again tonight for flooded and barricaded areas of the city. Rapidly rising water near the Iroquois River has caused around a dozen families to voluntarily evacuate their homes in the River Road area southeast of Kankakee and at Shannon Road in Aroma Park. Sgt. Craig Long of Kankakee County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency expected that residents would evacuate about 10 mobile homes in the old Mook Mobile Home Court, along River Road at 6000S. Rescue workers, boats and sandbags were rushed to towns hit by flooding that has killed one person and forced hundreds from their homes in east-central Illinois _ the latest twist in a week of turbulent weather that included a rare January tornado. About 200 Iroquois County residents left their homes when the Iroquois River spilled its banks, and boats and officers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources helped with the evacuation. In Pontiac, where flooding drove about 25 people from their homes, Mayor Scott McCoy captured the dramatic rescue of a woman from the Vermilion River on videotape Tuesday. "My heart was pumping. My first thought was, 'I'm going to jump in and get her if I have to,'" McCoy told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The city used school buses to evacuate flooded houses and some residents took shelter in the city's recreational center while they waited for the river to recede. At least one person died in flooding caused by heavy rainfall earlier in the week. The Ford County coroner said Bradley Swan, 24, of Paxton, died Tuesday morning at a Gibson City hospital. Rescuers pulled him from a submerged vehicle after it was swept from a road into a flooded field. Paxton, about 25 miles north of Champaign, received more than 3.5 inches of rain earlier in the week. The state sent 10,000 sandbags to Mahomet in Champaign County, where the Sangamon River was overflowing its banks. Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared Iroquois and Livingston counties state disaster areas and directed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to work with local authorities elsewhere to provide help where it was needed. "This is one of the worst floods to hit this part of the state in the past 30 to 40 years," Blagojevich said in a statement. National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Marsili said Momence, on the Kankakee River, and Watseka, along the Iroquois River, continued to deal with flooding on Wednesday. At Wilmington, the Kankakee River was starting to recede but was expected to remain above flood stage until late Saturday or early Sunday. McCoy, the Pontiac mayor, said he has been making training and recruitment videos, so carries a fire department pager to alert him of emergencies. On Tuesday afternoon when he heard the call about a woman in the river, he grabbed his camera and ran. |
 | Watseka Flooded ~ WCIA3 Watseka flooding watseka flood Watseka residents Francis and Janet Rabideau escaped from their home at 469 W. Mulberry Street with only one piece of carry-on luggage and a paper bag. They woke up with a small puddle in their back yard and ended up being rescued by boat a few hours later after the water rose up to their front door. "It's just what we had to have real quick," said Rabideau, who placed priority on her husband's prescriptions. Worries left behind Watseka resident Cisco Torres, 24, worries about the pet rotweiller he had to leave behind at his home on 216 N. 6th Street during the boat rescue. While he left plenty of food, he's uncertain when he'll be able to return. The welfare of the dog, the damage to his car and the lack of flood insurance for his belongings are all big concerns. While his house is covered, the contents of the home are not, according to Torres. "Until we go in there, we won't know," said Torres. "The water was over our feet when we left." UPDATE: Watseka Police Chief Roger Lebeck said the dusk-to-dawn curfew will be in effect again tonight for flooded and barricaded areas of the city. Rapidly rising water near the Iroquois River has caused around a dozen families to voluntarily evacuate their homes in the River Road area southeast of Kankakee and at Shannon Road in Aroma Park. Sgt. Craig Long of Kankakee County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency expected that residents would evacuate about 10 mobile homes in the old Mook Mobile Home Court, along River Road at 6000S. Rescue workers, boats and sandbags were rushed to towns hit by flooding that has killed one person and forced hundreds from their homes in east-central Illinois _ the latest twist in a week of turbulent weather that included a rare January tornado. About 200 Iroquois County residents left their homes when the Iroquois River spilled its banks, and boats and officers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources helped with the evacuation. In Pontiac, where flooding drove about 25 people from their homes, Mayor Scott McCoy captured the dramatic rescue of a woman from the Vermilion River on videotape Tuesday. "My heart was pumping. My first thought was, 'I'm going to jump in and get her if I have to,'" McCoy told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The city used school buses to evacuate flooded houses and some residents took shelter in the city's recreational center while they waited for the river to recede. At least one person died in flooding caused by heavy rainfall earlier in the week. The Ford County coroner said Bradley Swan, 24, of Paxton, died Tuesday morning at a Gibson City hospital. Rescuers pulled him from a submerged vehicle after it was swept from a road into a flooded field. Paxton, about 25 miles north of Champaign, received more than 3.5 inches of rain earlier in the week. The state sent 10,000 sandbags to Mahomet in Champaign County, where the Sangamon River was overflowing its banks. Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared Iroquois and Livingston counties state disaster areas and directed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to work with local authorities elsewhere to provide help where it was needed. "This is one of the worst floods to hit this part of the state in the past 30 to 40 years," Blagojevich said in a statement. National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Marsili said Momence, on the Kankakee River, and Watseka, along the Iroquois River, continued to deal with flooding on Wednesday. At Wilmington, the Kankakee River was starting to recede but was expected to remain above flood stage until late Saturday or early Sunday. McCoy, the Pontiac mayor, said he has been making training and recruitment videos, so carries a fire department pager to alert him of emergencies. On Tuesday afternoon when he heard the call about a woman in the river, he grabbed his camera and ran. |
 | Iroquois County Flooding Watseka flooding watseka flood Watseka residents Francis and Janet Rabideau escaped from their home at 469 W. Mulberry Street with only one piece of carry-on luggage and a paper bag. They woke up with a small puddle in their back yard and ended up being rescued by boat a few hours later after the water rose up to their front door. "It's just what we had to have real quick," said Rabideau, who placed priority on her husband's prescriptions. Worries left behind Watseka resident Cisco Torres, 24, worries about the pet rotweiller he had to leave behind at his home on 216 N. 6th Street during the boat rescue. While he left plenty of food, he's uncertain when he'll be able to return. The welfare of the dog, the damage to his car and the lack of flood insurance for his belongings are all big concerns. While his house is covered, the contents of the home are not, according to Torres. "Until we go in there, we won't know," said Torres. "The water was over our feet when we left." UPDATE: Watseka Police Chief Roger Lebeck said the dusk-to-dawn curfew will be in effect again tonight for flooded and barricaded areas of the city. Rapidly rising water near the Iroquois River has caused around a dozen families to voluntarily evacuate their homes in the River Road area southeast of Kankakee and at Shannon Road in Aroma Park. Sgt. Craig Long of Kankakee County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency expected that residents would evacuate about 10 mobile homes in the old Mook Mobile Home Court, along River Road at 6000S. Rescue workers, boats and sandbags were rushed to towns hit by flooding that has killed one person and forced hundreds from their homes in east-central Illinois _ the latest twist in a week of turbulent weather that included a rare January tornado. About 200 Iroquois County residents left their homes when the Iroquois River spilled its banks, and boats and officers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources helped with the evacuation. In Pontiac, where flooding drove about 25 people from their homes, Mayor Scott McCoy captured the dramatic rescue of a woman from the Vermilion River on videotape Tuesday. "My heart was pumping. My first thought was, 'I'm going to jump in and get her if I have to,'" McCoy told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The city used school buses to evacuate flooded houses and some residents took shelter in the city's recreational center while they waited for the river to recede. At least one person died in flooding caused by heavy rainfall earlier in the week. The Ford County coroner said Bradley Swan, 24, of Paxton, died Tuesday morning at a Gibson City hospital. Rescuers pulled him from a submerged vehicle after it was swept from a road into a flooded field. Paxton, about 25 miles north of Champaign, received more than 3.5 inches of rain earlier in the week. The state sent 10,000 sandbags to Mahomet in Champaign County, where the Sangamon River was overflowing its banks. Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared Iroquois and Livingston counties state disaster areas and directed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to work with local authorities elsewhere to provide help where it was needed. "This is one of the worst floods to hit this part of the state in the past 30 to 40 years," Blagojevich said in a statement. National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Marsili said Momence, on the Kankakee River, and Watseka, along the Iroquois River, continued to deal with flooding on Wednesday. At Wilmington, the Kankakee River was starting to recede but was expected to remain above flood stage until late Saturday or early Sunday. McCoy, the Pontiac mayor, said he has been making training and recruitment videos, so carries a fire department pager to alert him of emergencies. On Tuesday afternoon when he heard the call about a woman in the river, he grabbed his camera and ran. |
 | Watseka Flooding ~ Iroquois County Watseka flooding watseka flood residents Francis and Janet Rabideau escaped from their home at 469 W. Mulberry Street with only one piece of carry-on luggage and a paper bag. They woke up with a small puddle in their back yard and ended up being rescued by boat a few hours later after the water rose up to their front door. "It's just what we had to have real quick," said Rabideau, who placed priority on her husband's prescriptions. Worries left behind Watseka resident Cisco Torres, 24, worries about the pet rotweiller he had to leave behind at his home on 216 N. 6th Street during the boat rescue. While he left plenty of food, he's uncertain when he'll be able to return. The welfare of the dog, the damage to his car and the lack of flood insurance for his belongings are all big concerns. While his house is covered, the contents of the home are not, according to Torres. "Until we go in there, we won't know," said Torres. "The water was over our feet when we left." UPDATE: Watseka Police Chief Roger Lebeck said the dusk-to-dawn curfew will be in effect again tonight for flooded and barricaded areas of the city. Rapidly rising water near the Iroquois River has caused around a dozen families to voluntarily evacuate their homes in the River Road area southeast of Kankakee and at Shannon Road in Aroma Park. Sgt. Craig Long of Kankakee County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency expected that residents would evacuate about 10 mobile homes in the old Mook Mobile Home Court, along River Road at 6000S. Rescue workers, boats and sandbags were rushed to towns hit by flooding that has killed one person and forced hundreds from their homes in east-central Illinois _ the latest twist in a week of turbulent weather that included a rare January tornado. About 200 Iroquois County residents left their homes when the Iroquois River spilled its banks, and boats and officers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources helped with the evacuation. In Pontiac, where flooding drove about 25 people from their homes, Mayor Scott McCoy captured the dramatic rescue of a woman from the Vermilion River on videotape Tuesday. "My heart was pumping. My first thought was, 'I'm going to jump in and get her if I have to,'" McCoy told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The city used school buses to evacuate flooded houses and some residents took shelter in the city's recreational center while they waited for the river to recede. At least one person died in flooding caused by heavy rainfall earlier in the week. The Ford County coroner said Bradley Swan, 24, of Paxton, died Tuesday morning at a Gibson City hospital. Rescuers pulled him from a submerged vehicle after it was swept from a road into a flooded field. Paxton, about 25 miles north of Champaign, received more than 3.5 inches of rain earlier in the week. The state sent 10,000 sandbags to Mahomet in Champaign County, where the Sangamon River was overflowing its banks. Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared Iroquois and Livingston counties state disaster areas and directed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to work with local authorities elsewhere to provide help where it was needed. "This is one of the worst floods to hit this part of the state in the past 30 to 40 years," Blagojevich said in a statement. National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Marsili said Momence, on the Kankakee River, and Watseka, along the Iroquois River, continued to deal with flooding on Wednesday. At Wilmington, the Kankakee River was starting to recede but was expected to remain above flood stage until late Saturday or early Sunday. McCoy, the Pontiac mayor, said he has been making training and recruitment videos, so carries a fire department pager to alert him of emergencies. On Tuesday afternoon when he heard the call about a woman in the river, he grabbed his camera and ran. The woman had missed rescue ropes thrown to her from several bridges, and as |
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