Chicago Seeks Aid After Deluge

Chicago officials seeking clean-up funds have asked the state to declare a disaster after the city was hit by a deluge of weekend rains which flooded streets and stranded families, reports CNN. More than six inches of rain fell Saturday—the most in 137 years in  a single day. That was followed by more rainfall yesterday, dumping a total of 90 billion gallons of water on the city.

The remnants of tropical storm Lowell barreled in from the west, followed by rains pushed from the south by Hurricane Ike. The north branch of the Chicago River quickly overflowed its banks, and some 1,000 people were evacuated from flooded areas. In the worst-hit neighborhood, Albany Park, 340 homes were in danger. Many schools are closed today. Other areas in northern Illinois were also hit by floods.
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