BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL
DANVILLE — Recent rains and saturated grounds have left people trying to get the water out of their homes.
As many as 30 people were standing at the front door of the Big R of Tilton when it opened Wednesday morning. Manager Jim Spencer said sump pumps and anything that could move water were the items in demand throughout the day.
“I was surprised,” he said, adding he didn’t think it rained that much.
A number of customers, Spencer said, told him the rain had caused water in the crawlspaces under their homes for the first time.
Vermilion County received a break from heavy rains on Thursday as a stationary front expected to bring strong and severe storms to the area instead lifted to the north, carrying with it rains and rotation that caused three tornado warnings in Iroquois County.
Despite the lack of rain, warnings are still out for the county as the Vermilion River was measured at 19 feet at mid-day on Wednesday, just a foot more than flood stage, according to measurements from the National Weather Service. At that level, minor flooding begins to some secondary roads and agricultural land not protected by levees.
According to forecasts from the National Weather Service, the river is expected to begin to drop as low at 16½ feet by Friday morning.
The county’s other two main rivers — the Middle Fork and the North Fork — are also at higher levels. The Middlefork has jumped 6½ feet in recent days — above its average of 3½ feet — while the North Fork has risen 5 feet in recent days.
All three rivers could see a new influx of water, however, with the forecast of more severe weather to come Friday and Saturday to the region.
According to the National Weather Service in Lincoln, severe thunderstorms are possible Friday afternoon, with a better chance for the storms Friday night into Saturday. Vermilion County stands at the edge of moderate risk area for the state, with large hail, damaging winds and the potential for strong tornadoes all possible, the weather service indicated.
The rain is not a welcome site for road commissioners in the county, many of whom are still dealing with conditions left from the severe weather Tuesday night.
Vermilion County Highway Engineer Bob Andrews said Carroll Township along the county’s southern boarder continues to deal with water over roadways while to the west in Pilot Township a small bridge collapsed.
“Everybody’s got problems,” Andrews said.
County roads have also experienced some coverage by water, but the water receded relatively quickly, Andrews said.
