Andrea Medina and Gabriel Castillo
6 hours ago
WILMINGTON, Ill. — Wilmington businesses reopened Saturday after the threat of flooding from the Kankakee River prompted evacuations of downtown.
Tina Nelson of Nelson's Furniture in the 200 block of Bridge Street in Wilmington spent most of the day cleaning up and sorting through what she could salvage from her store after the floodwaters came.
“It was like mud and water everywhere. It averaged about four or five inches,” Nelson said.
Nelson said she was pleasantly surprised that the water damage wasn't too bad, aside from tearing up the carpet and drying out some furniture in the main room.
“Our boys came, our friends came, we brought more fans from Breather Construction,” Nelson said. “Three work staff came, a salesman came, and my girlfriend's husband and I, and my daughter-in-law also came. So we all worked together and started moving the goods. '' Nelson said.
The owners of Nelson's Furniture said they hope to begin deliveries by Monday and welcome customers back as soon as possible.
Days after rising temperatures cleared ice jams along the Kankakee River, flooding homes and businesses and closing roads, Mystic Boutique on Route 66 marked its first day open again Saturday. Ta.
“Flooding is nothing new. I mean, it's happening around here,” said Dave Tattera, whose wife owns the store. We are all on the river knowing it will happen. Once it's done, just pick it up and move on. ”
Luckily, the boutique survived the floods, but cameras captured the moment the floodwaters blocked access to the store. However, as soon as the water level rose, it receded.
“There was still a little bit of water in the parking lot here, but it all went away overnight and we were able to open it up again this morning,” Tattera said.
Another downtown business, Flower Loft, is hoping to make up for lost business by holding a “flood sale.”
“We're hoping for merchandise to flood into the store to make us do a double take on the whole situation,” Flower Loft co-owner Nick Facchina said.
Flash flood warnings are no longer in effect, but flood warnings remain in place as flooding is expected to continue near the river.
