The Illinois Department of Employment Security is advising customers to use the Internet to register for jobless benefits following a flood that knocked out phone service to many agency offices.

Unemployed individuals without a computer are asked to go to the library or the nearest IDES office to update  claim status and ensure their benefits will not be interrupted.

http://www.ides.state.il.us is the agency website. Customers can access the reporting mechanism from the drop down menu in the upper right hand corner.

Heavy rains in the Chicago area triggered the flooding that knocked out equipment "owned and operated by the telephone company," according an IDES press release.

Most people report the number of applications submitted to remain eligible for unemployment benefits on Mondays and Tuesdays. The IDES stressed that reporting will remain mandatory despite the service interruption.

"It is unclear when the outage will end and telephone service will resume," the agency said.