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Crashing Lake Michigan Waves Flood Rogers Park Garage A Second Time

CHICAGO (CBS) -- For the second time in a little more than a month, a garage near the lakefront in Rogers Park has been left flooded.

The latest inundation was the result of this week's winter storm.

As CBS 2's Jim Williams reported, frustrated residents had just removed mold and eight feet of water, when Lake Michigan's big waves returned and left them all wet all over again.

When asked how frustrating it was, Vern Dang said, "Level 10."

High and powerful Lake Michigan waves poured through walls, and just like in January, the water pooled right outside the garage door – and inside the garage too.

On Tuesday, it was dry in the garage. But a day later, several inches of water had come through and it was flooded again.

"First, we had to pump out eight feet of water, and that took some time," said former Ald. Joe Moore, who lives in the building.

On Saturday, Jan. 11, ferocious waves likewise flooded the garage and destroyed cars. One Tesla is still there.

"And now this," Moore said. "We pretty much were ready to start occupying the garage again, and then another storm."

Moore said he and he neighbors are now going to build an eight-foot wall.

Across the street, preparations at Fred Morton's building paid off.

On Tuesday, Morton said, the water "came right to wall, here, of the veranda - right to wall."

Sandbags, and even an old door, kept the water out this time – lessons learned from the flood last month.

"I heard the forecast and I thought, 'I think we're prepared, I'm hoping we're prepared,'" Morton said. "And today, it looks like we were prepared."

On Tuesday, the city warned it might have to relocate cars along the lakefront because of flooding. A Department Streets and Sanitation worker told us Wednesday that no cars had to be moved.

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