Storm damage, power outages reported in south and southwest suburbs

Crews worked throughout the south and southwest suburbs Tuesday to restore power and clean up damage caused by storms and possible tornadoes.

Among the damage was the complete destruction of the red barn on Schoolhouse Road in Mokena, treasured by many residents..

“It’s an old barn, but it’s kind of a landmark in the town,” resident Mark Lisowski said.

Harold Witt, a resident of an apartment at Front Street and Mokena Street, said power outages were inconsistent within and around his building. He said a neighbor called ComEd to ask when the power would return to the area but did not get a straight answer.

“She’s called a few times, and I believe they said like there’s only five units out in this area, so it’s not really a priority,” Witt said.

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.

Three homes in the Ranch Oaks Subdivision off of Route 52 were hit by fallen trees and sustained “significant damage,” while other buildings and vehicles in the area were moderately damaged. Access to the subdivision was limited to homeowners, according to the Will County sheriff’s office.

Jason Froling has lived in his home at the entrance of Ranch Oak for 12 years, and has never experienced a storm like Monday’s. He said while his car was totaled and his home had significant damage to the front porch and siding, the worst of the storm only lasted a minute.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Froling said as he worked to clear a path to his front porch Tuesday afternoon. “Every single power line in this subdivision is down or the poles are down or there’s trees on top of them.”

Froling was in the basement with his family when he heard the loud crash of trees hitting the front of his home.

“It was ripping, they said at 50 miles an hour,” Froling said. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

While others heeded the warnings to take shelter, Froling’s neighbor James McCarthy said he spent much of the night outside watching the storm.

McCarthy said fire and police officials canvassed the neighborhood throughout the night, going door-to-door to see if residents need assistance.

Still, the neighborhood could remain without power for the next week after the storm took down many of the nearby power lines.

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 until Wednesday or Thursday, 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 in Homewood, Kim Rushing held a broom Tuesday while surveying the damage to her home as her neighbors up and down the street joined forces to start clearing fallen trees and broken glass. Rushing, who has lived kitty-corner from Willow School in Homewood for nine years and grew up in Flossmoor, said like Froling, she had never seen a storm blow through like this one.

“I’m still in disbelief,” she said.

At Rushing’s house, the storm blew the back windshield out of a vehicle and over the car, landing several feet in front of where it was parked in the driveway. A fallen backyard tree smashed her wooden privacy fence and broken window pane glass littered her lawn. Part of a tree limb remained lodged amid the shards in a destroyed window at the side of her house.

She said she heard a whistling sound Monday night as she and her family headed downstairs.

“I felt the house shake and then heard the windows shatter one by one,” Rushing recounted.

Across Willow Road, Duane Lee said the damaging blast from the storm “sounded like the proverbial train” as he began to head downstairs where his wife was already hunkered at their home adjacent to Willow Park.

His home appeared to have been spared from damage, but just a few feet near the end of his driveway, power lines dangled in the street from tilted utility poles. Lee said he was told not to expect power to be restored until Friday.

“It was rough out here,” he said.

But amid the understory of downed trees and limbs littering the neighborhood, chainsaws buzzed and people gathered to help each other and share their experiences.

“Everyone checked in with each other,” Rushing said. “We’re pitching in as a united front to clean up.”

The National Weather Service investigated 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.

No crashes, injuries or major and rural roadway closures were reported in unincorporated Will County, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Route 53 and surrounding streets from Coal City through Joliet was experiencing major traffic backups due to a partial closure on Interstate 55.

“Expect heavy truck traffic, use alternate routes if possible, be patient and plan for extra time to travel to your destination,” the news release said.

Several municipal buildings and libraries were open as cooling centers for those without power for air conditioning, and as a place to charge their phones.