Flooding On The Illinois River

     No matter where you live, if you've been listening to National newscasts, you know that the Illinois, Wabash and Mississippi have all been way over there banks and have caused a lot of mud, damage and havoc here in our state.   The thing about Illinois is that the Wabash partly borders to the East, the Mississippi to the West and the Illinois River slowly meanders down the middle.   So our state, the one with all the Governors in jail, and no money in the bank has now been designated a disaster area - those of us who live downstate and take the brunt of the political mess from Chicago and Springfield -have known this for eons but now it's official.  The Federal Government says so!  (I digress)
       Our dad and Uncle Stan were the only two of the seven Scovil brothers who did not join the Navy during the Second World War.   Both of them had three children and were deferred because of their jobs.  I can't remember what Uncle Stan did - streetcar driver maybe? - but dad worked at Caterpillar.   And during that terrible flood of 1943 he did sandbag duty.   In fact, when he retired they presented him with a plaque that stated that he had logged more hours working on that line than anyone else.  I remember him coming home and mother having a dish pan with hot Epsom salts water to soak his feet.   We lived on Smith Street at the time.   Somewhere in the family archives - which means another sibling has the picture - there is a shot of him standing by that  fence of sandbags.

      On the night of Vern's wake, Connie Essington said to me:   "Did you know Vern saved East Peoria?"   No, I had never heard that story.   Connie said that during the big flood in the 1970s, Connie was working for Vern and one night they were patrolling the levee on the river. (Put in after the flood of '43)  He said that everyone else had taken a break and just he and Vern were there.   Connie was walking along checking for leaks, he on one side and Vern down the other.   Connie said he yelled for Vern that there was a pretty big gash in the wall and getting bigger and  to come quick.   When Vern saw what was happening, he ran over, got on a D9 tractor that they had been using to strengthen the levee and began moving dirt to fill the gap.    The thing was, management was not supposed to be on the equipment, it was against union regulations but there was no one around except the two of them - the drivers were on a break.   (Hopefully enough time has passed that Vern won't get in trouble with the Union).  So there you have it, Vern Mall and the Little Dutch Boy.  Two of a kind!

      This time around,  one of the things that the local media has mentioned time and time again is how everyone has pitched in and worked together to save those businesses built years ago below the flood plane.   I think people who live in the Midwest, people like Dad, Vern and all the High Schoolers  and others who have worked so diligently, personify what Illinoians are about.  Despite our crooked politicians and officials, for the most part, the real population of this state are mighty fine folks.