Thousands without power Tuesday after tornadoes, severe storms in Chicago area
CHICAGO (CBS) — Thousands of ComEd customers remain without power after Monday's tornadoes and severe storms.
As of 9:40 a.m., ComEd reported over 189,000 customers remain without power across the area.
ComEd officials reported during a news conference on Tuesday that 430,000 customers initially experienced outages, and over 206,000 customers have had their power restored.
ComEd said about 80% of customers can expect their power to be restored by Wednesday afternoon, and crews are working "around the clock." The remaining outages, ComEd estimates 99% of customers, could be restored by Friday.
Over 3,000 utility workers will prioritize police and fire stations, nursing homes, and hospitals. ComEd has set up base camps with additional resources in the hardest-hit areas, including Freeport, University Park, Joliet, and Streator base camps.
"We are putting every available resource into this response," officials said.
ComEd crews are responding to I-55 near Channahon, where downed power lines are causing an unsafe situation for drivers. Two transmission towers and high-voltage wires are down across the highway.
Customers can report outages or downed power lines by calling 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661) or going online.
The National Weather Service reported as many as 10 tornadoes on the ground during the evening.
Early Tuesday morning, ComEd crews were seen working at Cumberland and Maple Avenues in Norridge after strong winds pushed power lines, impacting area residents.
Tens of thousands of ComEd customers across northern Illinois lost power due to the storms on Monday night. At of 11:10 p.m., more than 303,000 customers were without power.
Chicago area storm damage
Tree damage was also widespread throughout the Chicago area and beyond. Trees with a trunk diameter of 2 to 3 feet were snapped or uprooted by the storm.
The Chicago Fire Department reported numerous trees and power lines down around the city, some transformers burning, and power lines broken. The CFD warned that voltage from live power lines may be charging the wet ground, causing a shock risk.