"Three floods in one year come on. We had one in the winter, one in the spring and now this," Machesney Park resident Randy Underwood said. Frustration builds for Randy Underwood and his neighbors along the Rock River in Machesney Park. They watch day by day as these unwanted waters creep higher and higher everyday. Underwood's been measuring the levels by his front steps. "Now it's on the second step, which is about 6 to 8 inches higher," Underwood said. "I've spent most of the day out here viewing a whole lot of areas and it's very clear this is as bad as I've ever seen it and I've lived here all my life,"
Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen said. On Saturday, Christiansen declared the county an emergency disaster. A designation that gets the ball rolling on state and federal help. "We need to get it out of our office and down to Springfield and hopefully move beyond from there so we can get IEMA and FEMA involved," Christiansen said. He says there's a need for more sandbags right now and overall clean-up help. So life can get back to normal in this neighborhood with dogs walks and simply entering the front door. Folks like Underwood say for now, he'll put up with the flooding until it really hits home. "I've got about 8 inches before it's in the house, if it's in the house, I'm gone," Underwood said. Winnebago County is also seeing heavy flooding in Rockton, South Beloit, Loves Park and Rockford. Sheriff deputies are monitoring the flooded areas all weekend. Folks can also stop by Rockford's public safety building for help. Or if they need shelter, head to the Red Cross station at Harlem High School.