Disaster proclaimed in St. Clair County. Flooding in Belleville, across metro-east

Water rescues, downed lines and a flooded animal shelter have been reported across St. Clair County as heavy rain hit southwestern Illinois.

Here are emergencies local agencies and people have detailed in interviews, social media posts and news releases throughout the day on Tuesday:

7:10 p.m.

St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern has issued a Proclamation of a Disaster for St Clair County, citing “dozens of water rescues” and “substantial damage” to government buildings that will require “extensive repairs.” A preliminary damage assessments will be conducted in the coming days to determine if a state of federal disaster declarations will be necessary, the county’s emergency management agency reported.

6:45 p.m.

A significant area in Belleville flooded just north of Franklin Elementary School and south of the Belleville Skateboard Park. The school’s playground and the skateboard park flooded. Water nearly surpassed the pavilion at Hough City Park. The flooding spanned north of West C Street and south of West G Street, west of North Illinois Street and east of North 4th Street.

Shortly after 5 p.m., several people were out observing the water, taking photos and videos.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department has posted an aerial, panoramic view of the flooding on its Facebook page.

The same area flooded in July 2022 and is caused by overflow from Richland Creek.

2:52 p.m.

Dorian LeRoy, owner of NEC Technology Repairs in Belleville, had his business flood due to blocked sewage drains. The last flood cost the business $25,000 in repairs. A neighboring duplex was also flooded, LeRoy said, and multiple people inside had to be escorted out by Belleville firefighters.

1:37 p.m.

Belleville Fire Department is responding to South 29th Street for a tree on a residence, according to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

1:30 p.m.

Ameren Illinois is working to restore power to nearly 2,000 people in Cahokia Heights, which had the largest power outage in the region, according to Ameren Illinois spokesman Brian Bretsch.

A total of 3,230 people in Cahokia Heights were without power at 11:50 a.m. Bretsch said crews quickly restored power to 1,256 of those customers with a repair at one substation, and they continue looking for the cause of the outage for the other 1,974 customers.

Elsewhere in the metro-east, about 500 customers are without power in Monroe County and 360 customers are without power in Clinton County, according to Bretsch.

Information about the cause of outages and estimated restoration times will be published online at outagemap.ameren.com as the information becomes available. Ameren Illinois customers can sign up to receive notifications by providing their phone number and email address to the company online through their Ameren Illinois account. They can also visit Ameren.com/Alerts or send the text message “REG” to the phone number 263736.

12:29 p.m.

Belleville Fire Department is responding to South 14th Street for a water rescue, according to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

12:14 p.m.

Mascoutah and Belleville fire departments are on the scene of an area near Illinois Route 158 and Keck Road for a water rescue, according to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

11:46 a.m.

St. Clair County Animal Services posted that it is flooding and still needs rescues for about 20 adult dogs. In a press release sent shortly after 1 p.m., the Belleville Area Humane Society said it responded quickly and rescued every cat from imminent danger. After transporting the cats back to their facility, it returned to rescue five dogs. In a 1:17 p.m. Facebook post, the humane society said it had evacuated all dogs.

11:28 a.m.

Mascoutah and Belleville fire departments are responding via rescue boat to the 4200 block of Illinois Route 161 for an occupied vehicle under water, according to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

10:32 a.m.

Mascoutah Fire Department is responding to Illinois Route 161 and Illinois Route 4 for a water rescue. Belleville Fire Department boat is requested to assist, according to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

Update at 11:13 a.m.: All occupants are out of the vehicle.

9:46 a.m.

East Side Fire Department is responding to Richland Prairie Drive for a water rescue, according to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

9:39 a.m.

Northwest Fire Department is responding to the 1400 block of Centreville Avenue for a transformer and wires on fire, according to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

Update at 9:45 a.m.: Location corrected to 100 block of Optimist Drive and multiple lines are down.

9:34 a.m.

St. Clair County Special Emergency Services along with St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency resources are being deployed to Nashville, Ill., for water rescue and to assist with evacuation operations.

Update at 9:38 a.m.: Freeburg, New Athens, Marissa, Smithton and St. Libory fire departments are being requested for water rescue operations.