Salem, Illinois, faces aftermath of flash flooding

SALEM, Ill. – Prolonged amounts of rain started as early as 4 a.m. Tuesday morning in southwest Illinois, agitating the quick rise in water levels. The City of Salem is still dealing with the problems in the late afternoon.

Law enforcement and emergency management have been working diligently, especially Tuesday morning, to help vehicles stranded on flooded roads, as well as assessing a mobile home community near Town Creek.

The creek quickly became overwhelmed with 3–4 inches of rain, flooding a small neighborhood just a few yards behind it. Law enforcement was going door-to-door, getting people to evacuate their homes and head to the community center as floodwaters submerged their property.

The water has greatly receded as of Tuesday evening. At one point, the northbound entrance to the interstate was closed. Route 50 was closed east of town due to massive flooding, which has since been opened.

Several other roads in town have been flooded, including some typical roads to flood along with unexpected routes. The massive amounts of rain that came down quickly inundated the ditches and systems around them.

Law enforcement was able to rescue those who were stranded in vehicles from driving into the water. There were no injuries

As the rain has lightened up, it has allowed any rising waters over the roads to recede.

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