CHICAGO (WLS) – A storm of supercells ripped through the Chicago area Monday evening, leaving a trail of wind damage stretching from the suburbs of the Northwest to Indiana.
The storm traveled more than 100 miles, hitting the northwest suburbs before heading south, roaring through the city and maintaining its strength as it passed through northwest Indiana.
The storm caused tornado warnings to be issued in northern Illinois and Indiana. Widespread wind damage has been reported, but no return has been confirmed so far.
The National Weather Service is sending a survey team to the Streamwood / Schaumburg / Roselle area Tuesday morning to investigate two areas of possible tornado damage. Damage will also be monitored in the Westchester / Bellwood / Maywood areas.
In the suburbs west of Bellwood, village officials said a micro-explosion ripped off the roof of a multi-unit apartment building near 24th Street and Washington Boulevard. It happened around seven in the afternoon, just as the families were sitting down to dinner.
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“We just heard people screaming that the roof was off, go out, go out,” said Larhonda Neal, a resident.
Village officials said a resident, a young woman, was taken to hospital after she fell into ruins, but is expected to be fine.
“She was a third-floor lady calling; she needed help and her roof fell off,” said resident Ivoryana Neal.
Isaiah Griffith, a second-floor resident, heard the woman’s screams and ran to the third floor to help. When he reached his unit, he saw electrical sparks.
“It seemed, I can’t explain it, as if it was spreading everywhere,” he said. “It was terrifying; it was terrifying.”
The Red Cross is organized at Bellwood Village Hall to help residents find a place to stay.
TARGET | A storm of supercells cuts down trees on Roselle
“It could have been worse, so I just have to thank God,” Ivoryana Neal said.
Residents described what they heard as the roof tore off, saying “we heard a whistle,” “I heard the thunder; it was like a boom,” “then we heard a loud pop, like a boom, like something was crashing. “
“I thought our roof was going to sink because a lot of water was coming in,” Ivoryana Neal said.
Mayor Andre Harvey said a building inspector would go there on Tuesday morning to assess the structure, adding that no one was seriously injured.
“So once we make sure it’s structurally sound, we’ll probably accompany residents to get their belongings so they can move to other places to stay,” he said.
Families stopped to grab some of their belongings as the building is uninhabitable.
“It’s just disbelief, like, you can see the sky from my living room and my bedroom,” said resident Sheila Lilly.
She was at work when her 18-year-old son called her, hysterical.
“It was like, ‘the roof, the roof fell.’ I say, ‘Well, what do you mean the roof has fallen?’ So he showed me FaceTime and he showed me, and I quit my job and came here right away, “Lilly said.
The mayor said it could take months to fix the roof of the building.
Village Hall is also becoming a cooling center for those in need.
Miguel Martinez’s Bellwood house was hit by a huge tree that broke in half and made a hole in the roof while his family was in the living room.
“It could have been worse. I mean, just look, mostly because we were all in the living room, so it could have been really bad,” he said.
Mayor Harvey said the whole town has some kind of damage to the trees.
“So our street department and the public works department have been cleaning the streets all night; like I said, we have residents who were helping each other clean up the streets,” Harvey said.
In the northwest suburbs, one of Roselle’s oldest trees gave way to strong sudden winds. A favorable direction saved the village mayor’s house.
“I was in Village Hall, I got a lot of calls from my wife,” Mayor David Pileski said. “She was in our basement with our 1 year old son. We’re just grateful she got away from home.”
The spontaneous cleaning crew got up as soon as it was safe to leave.
“I live two houses downstairs; that’s what the neighbors do,” Joe Kightlinger said. “Roselle, take care of each other.
On the North Side of Chicago, the storm damaged a Toyota dealership in Lincoln Park. No injuries were reported.
Passengers were protected when 84 mph winds blew out of O’Hare International Airport and all arrival and departure flights were stopped. A crowd of people seeking refuge rushed to the lowest level of the airport.
And rightly so. Strong winds overturned several planes at the nearby Schaumburg Regional Airport. And lightning struck a house in the northern suburbs of Northbrook.
Several Metra lines temporarily suspended service as the storm passed.
On Tuesday morning, trains BNSF 1224, 1226, 1221 and 1254 will not operate due to the persistent effects of the storm on Monday night.
There were debris on the tracks after the storm, a Metra spokesman said, and the tracks had to be inspected, causing long delays and hours for drivers.
Workers were also trying to put one side of the Bellwood Metra stop into operation after a severe flood.
Even the Brookfield Zoo was hit by the storm – it won’t open until 1 p.m. Tuesday, as workers clean up debris, including fallen trees.
In a statement, the zoo said its grounds were badly damaged and some parts of the site may not be open on Tuesday.
And at 10:30 a.m., ComEd reported that 36,000 are without electricity due to the storm, from a height of 125,000.
ComEd said workers are circling, mostly in the northern and northwestern suburbs and the city, trying to restore electricity and order before the stifling temperatures make the task unbearable.
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A Roselle substation was also damaged.
Chicago residents who need to report a power outage or a downed power line should contact ComEd at 800-334-7661.
LOOK: ComEd trying to restore power after the storm, before the heat wave
For large fallen branches or fallen trees that are blocking the public thoroughfare, residents should call 311 and report a “Tree Emergency.” Chicago residents should visit 311.chicago.gov to report water in the basement, stagnant water on the street, tree debris and traffic lights off. Residents are also encouraged to download the CHI 311 app from the App Store or Google Play to report 311.
As the warm front that triggered the storm rises in the north, temperatures will rise until the 1990s on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
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