Crews were working throughout the south and southwest suburbs Tuesday morning to restore power and clean up damage caused by storms and possible tornados.
The National Weather Service is investigating 29 areas that potentially experienced tornado touchdowns, though none were confirmed as of Tuesday morning. Meteorologist Zachary Yack said individual tornados may have swept through areas including Orland Park east into Crestwood and Riverdale, Oak Forest and Harvey, and Tinley Park.
One woman died after a tree hit her home in Cedar Lake, Indiana, according to the Lake County coroner’s office.
In Oak Forest, police noted extensive tree damage from the 15700 block of Lavergne Avenue south to about 175th Street. Uprooted trees in this area also caused power outages south of 167th Street that are expected to last between 24 and 48 hours but could extend into Friday, police Chief Jason Reid said.
“We had a telephone pole that was uprooted, roughly like the 16900 block of Forest Avenue, which has impacted a large area,” Reid said. “Contact crews are out there now working on things.”
Reid said no injuries had been reported, but a couple of homes and some cars were damaged by fallen trees. Residents in need of support or shelter should reach out to the Oak Forest Police and Fire departments, he said.
Farther south, the Flossmoor Public Library announced it is halting typical library operations Tuesday to serve as a cooling center and charging area for people from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Additional damage was reported to extend through the village of Manhattan, Manhattan Township and Wilton Center, according to the Manhattan Fire Protection District. Three homes in the Ranch Oaks Subdivision were hit by fallen trees and sustained “significant damage,” with other buildings and vehicles in the area were moderately damaged. No injuries were reported.
First responders and emergency teams responded to about 40 calls for service, requiring assistance from Frankfort, Mokena, Lockport and the Manteno Fire Protection District, the Manhattan Fire Protection District said in a release. Power lines are down throughout Manhattan and Wilton Center.
The fire district encouraged people to avoid down power lines and fallen trees as well as any damaged areas.
The village of Homer Glen sent out an alert to residents acknowledging area power outages and said they expect 80% of outages to be restored by Wednesday at 3 p.m. An outage map is available for those within the ComEd area at www.comed.com/outages/.
