Crews Transport Residents by Boat as Heavy Rains Flood Northwest Side

ALBANY PARK — For the second time in five years, Sopath Chhin and his extended family were rescued by boat from their flooded home on Avers Avenue near the Chicago River.
"The furniture's floating, all our stuff's floating," said Chhin, 19, who had no idea where he would be spending the night.
Steady downpours Wednesday and Thursday turned large swaths of Albany Park and North Park into a disaster zone as the swollen Chicago River breached it banks. The area between Carmen and Foster avenues, bounded by Kimball and Pulaski avenues, bore the brunt of Mother Nature's ire.
"Yesterday I was watching the river, and it was still feet below the top," said resident Lisa Romano. "This morning it was huge."
Police barricaded streets where water flowed knee-deep, crews from the Water Department were pressed into sandbagging duty and Fire Department personnel rescued stranded homeowners.
Sami Tomah stared at his home, partially under water near what should have been the intersection of Springfield and Foster avenues.


Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130418/albany-park/chicago-river-locks-opened-avoid-repeat-of-2008-flood-along-north-branch#ixzz2Rxvb6Wjy