CHICAGO — The rain that hit Chicago on Sunday left chaos behind: roads underwater, basements flooded and water jetting into the sky.
Around 7 a.m. along North Harding in Albany Park, a massive pipe burst underground, shooting water upwards. Hours later, all that was left was a huge opening in the ground. Water service into nearby homes was also impacted.
Soliz Rodriguez says more than a foot and a half of water backed up into his basement. His family immediately rushed to purchase a water pump from the store. A computer, game system and other electronics were destroyed.
“A quarter of our basement is ruined. We lost a lot of family photos. It kinda sucks, but we’ll rebuild,” Rodriguez told FOX 32 Chicago.
Torrential rains much of the day left many North Side streets cluttered with debris. One guy could be seen digging his car out from fallen branches along North Keystone. Alleys and sidewalks were also flooded.
At Ravenswood and Foster, video showed Chicago firefighters standing by, working to assist stalled vehicles under flooded viaducts.
Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management advises residents to use caution and avoid driving through standing water, viaducts and other low-lying areas.
No injuries were reported from the damage.