John Dwyer inspects his back yard after a tree destroyed his garage at 120 E. Madison St. in Elmhurst, Ill. High winds and storms created havoc last night with downed trees and loss of electrical power. (Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune / June 22, 2011) |
More than 11,300 homes still were without electricity this afternoon after 80 mph winds sheared trees in the area knocked down power lines and left tree limbs scattered on front lawns. Roughly 80 percent of the community was still without power Wednesday evening, said City Manager Jim Hock, and it could be multiple days before power is completely restored in the area.
The city placed police on extra patrols and firefighters on double shifts. Police officers also were at key intersections that had lost power, directing traffic.
Officials said they have seen some trees fall on homes but there have been no reported injuries. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital was temporarily without power but electricity was restored this afternoon, officials said. Maine South High School is being used as a cooling and power center.
"In terms of wind storms...it's the most devastating one we've seen in our community," Hock said as he compared this event's emergency services to the those used during the February blizzard.
The Park Ridge Public Library and various park district buildings and pools were closed due to a power outage from Tuesday’s storm, according to posts on the facilities’ websites.
The library, which closed its doors late Wednesday, expected to reopen at 1 p.m. Thursday if electricity is restored. Several park district facilities, including all pools, were shut down, the park district’s website stated.
About 80 percent of the community was without power Wednesday, said city officials. A cooling and electricity center was opened at Maine South High School.
The drive up book drops are closed but the drop on the front of the Library is open, according to the library. Late fees will not accrue during this time.
For information, check www.parkridgelibrary.org and www.prparks.org.
Evanston
About 2,000 Evanston residents were still without power by midday, according to the city's utilities director, Dave Stoneback.
As a precaution, Evanston’s water plant switched to natural gas engines late Tuesday. However, the plant did not lose power and pumps were switched back to electric service at 2 a.m., Stoneback said.
An alert on Northwestern University’s website stated that 42 buildings were without power this morning.
The storms also caused tree damage in Skokie, including taking down a 54-year-old honey locust tree in the 9200 block of Keating Avenue.
Arlington Heights
Trees were down and traffic signals were out this morning in Arlington Heights as commuters slowly make their way out of the storm-damaged area.
Numerous trees and lines went down throughout the village Tuesday night as a storm ripped through the Chicagoland area late last night.
Most homes in the center part of town lost power, as did some other spots in the village. Numerous businesses were without power as well.
Wilmette
Wilmette fared better than surrounding towns, but 1,200 residents were still without power this morning, according to Village Manager Tim Frenzer.
The city placed police on extra patrols and firefighters on double shifts. Police officers also were at key intersections that had lost power, directing traffic.
Officials said they have seen some trees fall on homes but there have been no reported injuries. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital was temporarily without power but electricity was restored this afternoon, officials said. Maine South High School is being used as a cooling and power center.
"In terms of wind storms...it's the most devastating one we've seen in our community," Hock said as he compared this event's emergency services to the those used during the February blizzard.
The Park Ridge Public Library and various park district buildings and pools were closed due to a power outage from Tuesday’s storm, according to posts on the facilities’ websites.
The library, which closed its doors late Wednesday, expected to reopen at 1 p.m. Thursday if electricity is restored. Several park district facilities, including all pools, were shut down, the park district’s website stated.
About 80 percent of the community was without power Wednesday, said city officials. A cooling and electricity center was opened at Maine South High School.
The drive up book drops are closed but the drop on the front of the Library is open, according to the library. Late fees will not accrue during this time.
For information, check www.parkridgelibrary.org and www.prparks.org.
Evanston
About 2,000 Evanston residents were still without power by midday, according to the city's utilities director, Dave Stoneback.
As a precaution, Evanston’s water plant switched to natural gas engines late Tuesday. However, the plant did not lose power and pumps were switched back to electric service at 2 a.m., Stoneback said.
An alert on Northwestern University’s website stated that 42 buildings were without power this morning.
The storms also caused tree damage in Skokie, including taking down a 54-year-old honey locust tree in the 9200 block of Keating Avenue.
Arlington Heights
Trees were down and traffic signals were out this morning in Arlington Heights as commuters slowly make their way out of the storm-damaged area.
Numerous trees and lines went down throughout the village Tuesday night as a storm ripped through the Chicagoland area late last night.
Most homes in the center part of town lost power, as did some other spots in the village. Numerous businesses were without power as well.
Wilmette
Wilmette fared better than surrounding towns, but 1,200 residents were still without power this morning, according to Village Manager Tim Frenzer.