An EF-2 tornado last week left devastation in its wake from Hickory Hills to Midway Airport, according to the National Weather Service. It was one of 17 confirmed tornadoes spawned by a twin helping of storms Wednesday and Thursday nights.
The tornado packed 120 mph winds as it moved in a narrow corridor – only 350 yards wide – for more than 8 miles as it ripped through Hickory Hills, Justice, Bridgeview and Chicago’s Southwest Side.
Bridgeview suffered significant damage with roofs torn off apartment buildings and Bridgeview Elementary School, a billboard collapsed onto a building, fallen branches, uprooted and downed trees along with lengthy power outages.
The National Weather Service reported the twister lasted for only 7 minutes, from 8:15 to 8:22 p.m.
Luckily, no one was killed and only six injuries were reported by the NWS.
Damage in the rest of the southwest suburbs was mainly fallen branches, downed trees and power outages, some that lasted for days.
ComEd crews were busy restoring power to thousands of people after the storms knocked down power poles across the southwest suburbs. Some outages were caused when the tornado-force winds snapped utility poles like toothpicks.
David Perez, Chief Operating of ComEd, held a media briefing on power outages in Palos Heights on Thursday and said hundreds of thousands of people lost power as trees knocked down power lines. The utility reported more than 146,000 customers were without power as of Friday morning.
Hickory Hills Mayor Mike Howley said city crews were out in force since the storms, clearing debris from the tornado and storms while maintaining city services.
He said the city was using the former Sabre Room site as a temporary dumping ground for tree debris and downed branches.
Howley said he was one of the city residents still without power as of Monday though ComEd had restored power to more than 80 percent of those whose lights went out thanks to the storm.
In Palos Heights, 95 percent of the city was without power Wednesday night. Most of those affected were restored by the weekend.
Mayor Bob Straz said the city will be doubling chipper services over the next two weeks to help residents deal with fallen limbs and branches.
Evergreen Park reported 4,400 power outages in the wake of Wednesday night’s storm.
Mayor Kelly Burke said the village suffered a “double whammy” with high winds and rain Wednesday and Thursday nights.
She said some trees were split in two with branches falling to the ground throughout sections of the village.
She said public works crews did a great job cleaning up.
The Community Center was open to residents who needed access to air conditioning or who had electronic devices that needed charging.
In Oak Lawn, Mayor Terry Vorderer said his village was also hit hard by the storms. He said there were numerous reports of trees damaged including two trees that were split in two near 91st and Austin Avenue adjacent to Harnew Elementary School.
Vorderer said power outages were a big problem in the wake of the storms. One resident said he was without power for five days.
Palos Hills suffered downed trees, damaged property and widespread power outages. The Cal-Sag walking and bicycle path from 86th Avenue to Southwest Highway will be closed until further notice for storm debris cleanup.
At its peak, Orland Park reported 6,230 people were without power. ComEd reported 99 percent had their power restored by Sunday.
Public Works, Parks, Police, and Emergency Management teams have been working to clear hazards, clear storm drains, and support restoration efforts, Mayor Jim Dodge said Monday.
He added that all traffic lights in Orland Park have been restored.
“Thank you for your patience as our team works hard to cover all areas of our community. At 22 square miles, our village covers a large area and crews are working diligently to reach every neighborhood as quickly as possible,” he said.
(Photos by Joe Boyle)
