Illinois hit by tornadoes and flooding

By Susan Kantor

Illinois residents spent Monday cleaning up after a weekend of tornadoes and floods, even as new storms rolling across the state threatened to add to the trouble.

In Richton Park, about 35 miles south of downtown Chicago, three businesses damaged by a tornado Saturday were not yet able to reopen and about 40 people were displaced from an apartment complex, said Regan Stockstell, the city’s director of community development. Several houses were also damaged, though most less severely.

It was one of seven tornadoes were reported around the state Friday and Saturday, most on the outskirts of greater Chicago, the National Weather Service said.

Officials in several areas hit by tornadoes were still tallying the damage from the storms.

In Will County, where the Richton Park tornado first touched down, 33 homes and business were damaged and seven were tagged as unsafe for occupancy, said Lynn Behringer, the county’s emergency management spokeswoman.

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But there was progress: Interstate 57 west and south of the town was open in both directions Monday.

Downstate, high water was just beginning to recede from rural roads and farm fields Monday, following 5 to just over 9 inches that fell in central and parts of southern Illinois. As much as 3 inches of rain also fell over much of northern Illinois over the weekend.

The weather service forecast called for more rain over much of the state Monday night, up to 2 inches in some locations.