GRAFTON, Ill — In Grafton, the forecasted crest of the Mississippi River jumped up from 35.5 to 36.3 Thursday.
"[19]93 was supposed to be a 100-year flood and here it is 26 years later and it's going to be the same thing," said Deona Chiappa, a downtown Grafton business owner.
It's something you've heard before, Grafton's underwater.
"[19]93, now the way it looks, is the only one we haven't reached yet hopefully it won't get that bad but we're gonna be within 2 feet of that," said Mayor Rick Eberlin of Grafton.
Wednesday, mayor Eberlin and Illinois Emergency Management took a tour of the hard-hit town.
"I really am looking for the needs of the communities that are out there… my job is to make sure we take care of the residents of Illinois and if they have a need that it's being met by the state," said Alicia Tate-Nadeau, the director of Illinois Emergency Management.
That meant providing the gravel needed to build a massive berm in downtown Grafton.
The berm is meant to create a barrier between the Mississippi and the businesses who love it from a distance.
"I'm just overwhelmed right now, I can't believe this is happening again," said Patty O'Hair the owner of the Grafton Inn.
Eberlin said he certainly didn't expect all of this going into their busiest time of the year.
But now that it's here and seems to be overstaying its welcome, they're just hoping the resiliency they're known for sticks around a little longer.
"I feel for everybody, it's a difficult time here in Grafton," said Mayor Eberlin. "We can control the things that we physically can control and the rest is left up to nature, the thing is, we hope to God that we can recover."
Illinois Emergency Management said they'll have to come back when the water recedes to talk about assessing the damage done.