You may have heard about the wild storms that hit the area Wednesday night, and the incredible rainfall. Tom Skilling reported north suburban Lake County received three entire Julys’ worth of rain in just 12 hours. In addition, the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers are overflowing their banks, with record water levels predicted as they continue to crest.
The north suburban town of Round Lake Park was one of the hardest hit, with neighboring Round Lake Beach receiving the highest rainfall total recorded in Illinois for the storm, at 7.38 inches.
All of the communities in Lake County need help, from Gurnee and Libertyville to Grayslake and the Round Lake communities, as businesses and property are threatened and in some cases lost.
W. J. Murphy Elementary School in Round Lake Park suffered a particularly devastating loss, seen above, as their entire school library was submerged by floodwaters. Now, the community is asking for help to rebuild that library and give the children in the community something to read when they come back from summer break.
Here’s the official statement from the school, and information on how you can help:
Murphy Elementary School library was destroyed in the flood.
If you are able to donate any books:
We are happy to announce that we are accepting donations of books at the district administrative office, 884 W Nippersink Rd, Round Lake, IL 60073.
For more information, please contact Lori Placek at 847-270-9003 or lplacek@rlas-116.org.
In addition, we are partnering with Bernie’s books for help with sorting, collecting, and distribution of the books collected
You can also help the affected community in the following ways. This comes via a statement July 15th from the Round Lake Area School District:
We are so thankful for the huge outpouring from our staff and community interested in donating books, clothing, money, etc. While it may be enticing to accept a donation and arrange for the personal pick up of such donation, please refrain from doing so as there are public places that have been set up for this purpose. It is important that all remain safe during these trying times.
Donation of Clothing
The Red Cross is accepting donations of clothing and non-perishable food items at JTMMS. Any clothing that is not used at the conclusion of this center will be donated to Good Will or Salvation Army.
Donation of Books
Donations of books are being accepted at the Round Lake Area Library (906 Hart Rd, RL) during business hours and the Administrative Service Center (884 W Nippersink Rd, RL) weekdays 8:00am-4:00pm.
Donation of Money
The Round Lake Area Schools Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and will accept monetary donations on behalf of the District. Funds donated will be applied directly to flood recovery efforts within the District. Donations can be made online at http://www.rlasfoundation.com/donate.html or can be mailed to PO Box 1881 Round Lake, IL 60073.
Barnes & Noble in Crystal Lake will be holding a book drive the first 2 weeks of August and on August 19th hosting the school for a book fair.
On August 19th, the Crystal Lake Barnes & Noble will be holding a book fair to benefit the Round Lake schools. A portion of purchases will go towards the school and you can donate purchased books as well!
Their insurance is paying for it, doesn’t hurt to keep asking for donations though, somebody’s gotta make up for the taxes lost for all the multiple families living in single family homes…
So the district didn’t bother to buy flood insurance to pay for this, or is it getting paid through the insurance claim and using this as an excuse to grab some cash?
I called and left messages we’d, Thursday and Saturday if you need help cleaning up call me; 630-779-7043
Follett in nearby McHenry might be a resource to contact for book donations and help in creating booklists from which donors could choose.
http://www.laurabushfoundation.org can help with this effort
Do you need help sorting or cleaning out damaged inventory.