The storm traveled more than 100 miles, hitting the northwestern suburbs before falling south, roaring through the city and maintaining its strength as it crossed northwestern Indiana. The storm triggered tornado warnings issued in northern Illinois and Indiana. Extensive wind damage has been reported, but so far no tornado has been confirmed. The National Weather Service is sending a team to the Streamwood / Schaumburg / Roselle area on Tuesday morning to investigate two possible areas of tornado damage. They will also monitor damage in the Westchester / Bellwood / Maywood areas. In the western suburbs of Bellwood, village officials said a small explosion shattered the roof of an apartment building near 24th Street and Washington Boulevard. It happened around 7 in the afternoon, when the families were sitting down to dinner. SEE MORE: Local officials call for attention as heatwave moves in area “As soon as we heard people screaming that the roof was closed, get out, leave,” said Larchonda Neil. Village officials said a resident, a young woman, was taken to hospital after being hit by debris, but is expected to be well. “There was a lady on the third floor screaming; she needed help and the roof fell on her,” said Ivoryana Neal, a resident. Isaiah Griffith, a second-floor resident, heard the woman screaming and ran to the third floor to help. When she arrived at her unit, she saw electric sparks. “It seemed like I could not explain it, as if it were spreading everywhere,” he said. “It was scary; it was scary.” The Red Cross is running at Bellwood Village Hall to help residents find a place to stay.
CLOCKS Supercell storm topples trees in Roselle
“It could have been worse, so I just have to thank God,” said Ivoryana Neal. Residents described what they heard as the roof cracked, saying “we heard a whistle”, “I heard lightning, it was like a boom”, “then we heard a loud pop, like a boom, like something crashing. “ “I thought our roof would fall in as a lot of water came in,” said Ivoryana Neal. Mayor Andre Harvey said a building inspector would be there Tuesday morning to evaluate the construction, adding that no one was seriously injured. “So as soon as we make sure they are structurally healthy, we will probably accompany the residents to get their belongings so they can move to other places to stay,” he said. Families stopped to seize some of their belongings, as the building is currently uninhabitable. “It’s just disbelief, like, you can see the sky outside my living room and bedroom,” said resident Sheila Lilly. She was at work when her 18-year-old son called her, hysterical. It was like, “the ceiling, the ceiling fell.” I say, “Well, what do you mean the ceiling fell?” “Well, he showed me FaceTime and he showed me, and I just quit my job and came here right away,” Lilly said. The mayor said it could take months to repair the roof of the building. The Village Hall doubles as a cooling center for those who need it. Miguel Martinez’s house in Bellwood was hit by a huge tree that broke in half and dug a hole in the roof while his family was in the living room. “It could have been worse. I mean, I was just looking, especially because we were all in the living room, so it could be very bad,” he said. Mayor Harvey said the entire village has some sort of tree damage. “So the Street Department and the Department of Public Works were out all night cleaning the streets; like I said, we have residents who were actually helping each other clean the streets,” Harvey said. In the northwestern suburbs, one of the oldest trees in Roselle gave way to sudden strong winds. A favorable direction saved the house of the mayor of the village. “I was in the Village Hall, I received a lot of calls from my wife,” said Mayor David Pileski. “He was in our basement with our 1-year-old. We are grateful he fell away from home.” The spontaneous cleaning crew wandered as soon as it was safe to go outside. “I live two houses down; that’s what neighbors do,” said Joe Kightlinger. “Rosell, they take care of each other. On the North Side of Chicago, the storm damaged a Toyota dealership in Lincoln Park. No injuries were reported. The passengers were covered as the winds of 84 miles per hour were blowing outside O’Hare International Airport and all arrival and departure flights were stopped. Crowds of people seeking refuge have reached the lowest level of the airport. And with good reason. Strong winds blew several planes at the nearby Schaumburg regional airport. And a single bolt of lightning struck a house in the northern suburbs of Northbrook. Several Metro lines temporarily suspended the service as the storm broke out. On Tuesday morning, the BNSF train numbers 1224, 1226, 1221 and 1254 would not operate due to the prolonged effects of Monday night’s storm. There was debris on the tracks after the storm, a Metra spokesman said, and the tracks had to be inspected, which led to long delays and hours for the pipelines. Workers were also trying to put one side of the Bellwood Metra station into operation after severe flooding. Even the Brookfield Zoo was hit by the storm: It will not open until 1pm on Tuesday as workers clean up debris, including fallen trees. In a statement, the zoo said its premises had suffered significant damage and parts of the site may not be open on Tuesday. As of 10:30 a.m., ComEd reported that 36,000 were without power due to the storm, below 125,000. ComEd said workers are making the rounds, mainly in the northern and northwestern suburbs and the city, trying to restore electricity and order before high temperatures make the project unbearable. CLOCKS Weather forecast ABC7 Accu A Roselle substation was also damaged. Chicago residents who need to report a power outage or a damaged power line should contact ComEd at 800-334-7661.
WATCH: ComEd Tries to Restore Power After Storm, Before Heat Wave
For large, fallen edges or fallen trees blocking the public road, residents should call 311 and report a “Tree Urgency”. Chicagoers must visit 311.chicago.gov to report water in their basement, stagnant water in their path, tree debris and outside lanterns. Residents are also encouraged to download the CHI 311 app from the App Store or Google Play to make 311 reports. As the warm front that triggered the storm rises to the north, temperatures will skyrocket until the 1990s on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
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