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Oct 4, 2006 12:08 am US/Central
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Residents, Businesses Begin Storm Cleanup
Some Still Without Power As ComEd, Others Seek To Make Progress Before Additional Rainfall
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
As Chicagoans worked to recover from Monday night's severe weather, many homeowners Tuesday were wondering what would happen next as more powerful storms appeared to be on the way.
With power still fleeting and some residents facing flooded basements, cleanup crews faced a big job – but not as big as it could have been.
"It puts into perspective what they went through in New Orleans," said homeowner Jim Spada. "I mean, this is nothing."
Still, it was the worst storm in Chicago in 10 years, knocking out power to 87 traffic lights, flooding 27 viaducts and knocking down more than 3,000 trees. In an average storm, just 200 trees typically fall.
With so much water falling in such a short time, residents and officials from Wheeling, Northbrook and across the area were struggling to pump it to the Des Plaines River before the next rainfall.
"The rain came a lot faster than we're able to get rid of it," said James Lang of Wheeling Public Works. "That's just flat out mechanics."
One business, Lauren's Restoration, said they averaged from 60 to 70 calls per hour after 10 p.m. on Monday. At least 200 people were still on the waiting list Tuesday, including homeowners Jim and Marla Mann. It was the first time in 10 years their home had flooded.
"Thank God a tree didn't go through the house," Jim Mann said. "Nobody got hurt."
Businesses were also reeling from the storms, including an industrial park in Bridgeview where business owners moved boxes of supplies and inventory out through the windows of their crushed offices.
"They've got to fortify the structure," said David Gottfred of G&O Thermal Supply. "We'll be out of business for awhile."
People were inside one warehouse last night when powerful winds started pulling the roof off.
"We pulled some vehicles in, then the storm came and we took refuge in a restroom," said Todd Causley of Celebration Limousines. "We had to race [to] grab computers. For awhile it was a little scary."
Skylights from several businesses popped out of the roof and landed in parking lots, allowing rain to cause severe water damage inside. In Hickory Hills, trees smashed into pools and houses.
"Virtually every street has downed power lines or tree damage of some variety," said Hickory Hills Mayor Mike Howley."
At one building a tree branch punched right through the ceiling.
"I never went through anything like this," said resident Mary Sexton. "I was really afraid."
At the same time, ComEd crews were also working to repair the damage. At the height of the power outages Monday 320,000 customers were without power in northern Illinois. More than 86,000 remained without power Tuesday night.
"We have 300 ComEd crews in the field working double shifts trying to get the power restored as quickly as possible," said ComEd's Judy Rader.
The hardest hit areas were Chicago's South Side and the southern suburbs.
"It's just sounded like a bunch of wind and you heard sizzling," said resident Joyce Sarafin. "We heard sizzling which made me think the house was actually burning."
Sarafin believes the sizzling she heard came from power lines popping off the house. When she came out to look at the damage this morning, she was shocked.
"I've never seen anything like this," she said. "You think living in the city that nothing like this could happen. You know you get a few down tree branches, but nothing like this. There's wires ripped off of the house and those are some pretty big cables back there that are pulled down."
ComEd crews say most of the damage was caused falling trees and branches on power lines. Subcontractors had to be brought in to remove the debris before power crews could repair the lines.
Many customers could do nothing but watch.
"Of all the years we've been here, this is the first time we've been out with power that long," homeowner Earl Fleischfresser said.
The outages also caused confusion at many intersections because traffic lights were also out.
"Most of Cicero and along half of it was out and the streets are very impossible to pass because the lights are not working at all," said Chicagoan Dora Aguilar.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)