Palatine Learns Lessons In Aftermath of Record Storms, Flooding

It was a very wet July. So wet, that according to Tom Skilling, WGN
weatherman, it beat a 122-year-old record for the largest amount of rainfall in the month in recorded history with 11.15 inches.

Rainfall in northern Cook County on July 23 was one of the wettest days in modern weather history – .

Close to 10,000 residents were without power at various points during and after the downpour; with resulting damage to the interior of homes as well as personal property. 

along with washing machines and furnaces.

Since the storm, officials have through the Village Action Line, evaluating the Palatine’s response, and working with other agencies and utility providers to determine what, if anything, could be changed.

“We created the Action Line (847-705-5200) a decade ago after the big storms in 2001; during normal business hours there is a live
person to answer calls about anything of concern, whether it is due to
significant weather events, or issues such as street lights, water and sewer or even zoning,” said Village Manager Reid Ottesen.

The line also has a person answering calls during emergency events, such as the recent storms. During non-business hours, residents can leave a message which will be returned the next business day.

On the morning of July 23, public works employees manned the Action Line beginning at 1 a.m. and fielded calls from hundreds who were dealing with power outages, flooding or both.

“Everyone that contacted the village through the Action Line has been followed up with and right now I have a list of 83 items and concerns
relating to the storm; we will take all of that information into account for future planning,” Ottesen said.

Ottesen said the Action Line was created to take pressure off of the 911 system during severe weather events, because the emergency number should be reserved for when police, fire or a medical response
is needed.

Village officials are aware that part of the reason for flooding in a number of neighborhoods was the inability of Palatine’s drainage systems to handle the amount of rain in the time frame it fell.

“It was the sheer volume of water in that three hour window, it exceeded the storm sewer 100-year design abilities,” Ottesen said.
“The design doesn’t address rainfall that comes down in that short of a time period.”

The total cost resulting from the storms has not yet been determined, but Ottesen said they are already at around $20,000 before
taking into account additional Groot Waste Management collection.

“There are also infrastructure issues that need to be addressed to help prevent future issues, so that number could total at least $100,000 in direct costs to the village,” Ottesen said.

What the village has done since the storms is to plan improvements to exceed current design standards. Ottesen said those changes would aim at handling a larger influx of rain that falls in shorter durations.

The village also has sent cameras into a number of areas of the storm sewers to ensure there are no obstructions from tree roots or construction materials. That work is ongoing.  

“We are looking at certain neighborhoods where storm inlets may need to be replaced so they are able to take on a higher water
volume,” Ottesen said.

Normally, streets and parking lots are designed to handle water, in addition to overflow finding its way to the creek and reservoir systems.

Saratoga and Burno Drive for example, experienced severe flooding, and are two of many streets in neighborhoods that will undergo engineering evaluations.

One resource meant to handle large influxes of water did not function to capacity during the storms.

“While the creek was flooding, the Margreth Riemer Reservoir at Quentin and Palatine Road was only at about 70 percent capacity,” Ottesen said.

The reservoir is under the supervision of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), and Ottesen said the village already began a dialogue with the organization after the last big storms and resulting issues.

“Right now we are seeking some engineering proposals where Palatine could handle improvements independently, and they are being
considered by MWRD,” Ottesen said.

That reservoir, in addition to the Hamilton Reservoir are both needed as back-ups if the creek system is unable to maintain the water flow, Ottesen said.

“Residents living south of Palatine Road have taken on significant flooding while the reservoir is far from capacity, and we are taking steps to address that,” Ottesen said. 

In addition to the flooding, power outages have been much more frequent and have lasted longer than in recent years. And those power
failures have contributed to flooding problems.

“More than half of the flooding issues were likely a result of sump pumps that couldn’t keep up or lost power,” Ottesen said.

The village has invited ComEd to attend a village council meeting.

“We want to know that ComEd is addressing the areas where the biggest power outages have occurred,” Ottesen said. 

The village of Palatine has supplied information to Cook County which could seek Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
funds.

More than 600 people completed a survey documenting uninsured losses because of the storms, but the damages have not yet been quantified, Ottesen said. 

“We are waiting to see if we qualify for funds; there is a threshold of loss in all of Cook County, and our information was submitted
last week,” Ottesen said.

Residents who did not fill out a survey can still qualify for uninsured losses if FEMA funds are awarded. For more information, visit the village website.