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Storm causes power outages in area
NORRIDGE — A brief albeit torrential storm Tuesday morning knocked out power lines and left thousands in Chicago metropolitan areas without electricity.
Commonwealth Edison expects restoration efforts to continue through Friday evening with a majority of customer regaining electricity by Thursday night, according to a storm activity update on its website.
Earlier this afternoon crews were still working to turn electricity back on in hundreds of homes in the west suburbs.
Correspondence from ComEd at 9:30 a.m. reported 1,200 residencies in Norridge suffered outages and that the company was working to restore power, according to Kathy Gaseor, executive assistant to the village president.
By 2:30 p.m., the ComEd website reported 1,352 customers in the village had been affected and that additional crews were required.
Other than a scattered trail of broken tree branches here or there, residents have reported no major damage, Gaseor said.
The light mess the wind and lightening storm left behind caught some by surprise. Gaseor said several people who called village hall in Norridge to inquire about their power didn’t realize thunderstorms had swept through the area. She heard the morning deluge around 6:30 a.m. and said it lasted only 10 to 15 minutes.
“It’s been such a dry, quiet summer,” she said. “It wasn’t the worst storm but it blew through the area very fast.”
Meanwhile, ComEd crews this afternoon were assessing the damage in Harwood Heights and working to restore power for 21 customers, according to the power company’s site. Damaged power lines are suspected to be the cause for the outages.
Franklin Park Deputy Clerk Assistant Karen Bellendir said ComEd had last sent an update to the village at 8:45 a.m noting outages between Gage Avenue and Palmer Street, and Manheim Road and Edgington Street. According to ComEd’s website, 86 customers are without power.
Northlake, too, has power outages scattered throughout the village with homes north of Armitage Road most affected, said Lisa Montalvo, an administrative assistant with Public Works.
ComEd’s site reported more than 659 Northlake customers had outages.
Montalvo said the Public Works department didn’t receive and fax updates from ComEd or phone calls from residents this morning because its facility also had its electricity knocked.
Lights flickered back on at the Public Works building, located at 100 W. Palmer Avenue, around noon, she said.
According to the utilit company’s website, Elmwood Park had 33 customers without power.
