Lombard Residents Still Without Power
CHICAGO (CBS)—The early-season snow storm that dumped up to 13 inches of snow in the Chicago area Sunday night into Monday has left thousands without power, well after the snow has stopped falling.
In west suburban Lombard, like many other Chicago-area communities, many residents are still left in the dark, and the outages continue as temperatures across the area remain frigid.
It's dark for almost as far as the eye can see on one residential street, and the outage may continue for a few more days, according to ComEd estimates.
ComEd released a statement Tuesday evening saying nearly 2,000 workers were working to restore power to approximately 22,150 customers.
The utility provider says power has been restored to 315,000 customers—or 90 percent of power-users so far.
Those numbers don't matter to Albert Baker, Dr. Brenda Bailey and their three kids, however.
The family is staying in a two-room hotel suite until their power is restored.
"It's a little cramped, and of course it's just not home," Bailey said.
A hotel suite is better than being inside their Lombard home, where ComEd says it's likely to stay cold and dark until Friday, Nov. 30.
"I am frustrated," Baker said. "The problem is communication. They told us to keep checking the map—it's not updating real time."
So Baker is left checking on the family pets, which were left in the house.
In an attempt to mitigate the power outage damage, the family is keeping their frozen food outside.
Adding insult to the potential five-day freeze-out is the other side of the block, which is fully lit. The Christmas lights are glowing at the home across the street.
Neighbor Sandy Niemi is also without power and says it's the first time she's lost power.
She's seeking refuge in her camper, which is equipped with a generator, coffee and a Crockpot to help her get by until she can return home.
"I haven't seen one truck—not a one," she said. "It's pretty discouraging.
A ComEd spokesperson told CBS 2 they are focusing on the heaviest-hit areas, but will make this Lombard block a priority.
