A week after severe storms and a tornado ripped roofs from homes and a school and trapped a family inside their own house, Chicago’s southwest side is still clearing debris — and aldermen are warning residents not to expect federal help.
Two storms battered the southwest side on June 10 and 11, leaving thousands without power and triggering hundreds of damage reports. Residents and city crews worked around the clock to clear debris and restore services. Recovery efforts continue.
The 13th Ward experienced nearly 8,000 residents without power at peak, with more than 1,100 calls for city services as of June 15. The 23rd Ward received over 500 calls to the alderman’s office alone — not counting emails, walk-ins, or app-based 311 submissions.
The EF2 tornado touched down during the second storm Thursday evening, causing severe structural damage across the 13th and 23rd wards.
13th ward: Roofs ripped, garage leveled
The first storm hit the 13th Ward around 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, primarily affecting Garfield Ridge and West Elston along the Archer corridor. A second, more destructive EF2 tornado swept through the southern portion Thursday evening between 7 and 8 p.m., affecting West Lawn and surrounding neighborhoods.
“It was like Groundhog Day,” Alderman Marty Quinn said of surveying damage Friday across the south side of the ward after cleanup had begun from the first storm.
At 65th and Nashville, roofs were ripped from condos. Between 65th and 63rd streets on Nashville, Quinn said, “the storm went right through that block; just total tree devastation.”
The most dramatic destruction occurred at a home at 6059 South Narragansett, where a garage was completely leveled. Quinn walked the alley with the homeowner and described the force of the damage: pieces of the garage, including Christmas lights from the rafters, were scattered half a block away.
“The garage door was on top of the garage next door,” Quinn said. The family escaped serious injury by reaching their basement moments before the storm hit their home.
At Hale Park, the Park District building and school remained structurally intact, but Quinn said “the tree devastation was unbelievable.”
23rd ward: School roof blown off, residents trapped
Alderman Silvana Tabares reported over 500 calls to her office during Thursday, Friday, and the weekend — not including emails, walk-ins, or app submissions.
The most critical incident occurred at St. Nicholas of Tolentine School. During the EF2 tornado, a large portion of the school’s roof blew off and landed on a nearby residence, blocking the family’s front entrance, trapping them inside.
“That’s an emergency. That’s a safety issue,” Tabares said.
Tabares, her staff, school principals, the pastor, and the 23rd Ward superintendent responded Friday morning with Streets and Sanitation crews.
To remove the large roof section from the resident’s home, Tabares called Department of Buildings Commissioner Marlene Hopkins, who provided a hi-lift to safely remove it. The Chicago Fire Department documented St. Tolentine roof damage for insurance purposes.
“We were all hands on deck to clean up the damage caused by the storm,” Tabares said.
No students were harmed. St. Nicholas of Tolentine had dismissed students on June 4 or 5, before summer break began. Water damage occurred in some classrooms, which the school documented for insurance claims.
15th ward: Wind damage and preventive measures
The 15th Ward experienced primarily wind damage, with 85-mile-an-hour winds downing trees and damaging property. Alderman Raymond Lopez reported that most streets had been cleared by mid-week, though large branches remained in parkways.
“We’re in a lot better shape than we were after last Thursday,” Lopez said. Crews from the city and ComEd worked 12-hour days to restore neighborhoods.
Damage included numerous downed fences and damaged cars, with more homes affected than businesses. The 15th Ward benefited from preventive work: the water department had been cleaning sewers on major streets — 47th, 51st, 59th, and 63rd — when the storm hit.
“I think that helped us decrease the propensity for flooding,” Lopez said, noting that cleaned sewers and lower rainfall compared to 2025 storms prevented the basement flooding that plagued residents last year.
Coordinated cleanup across all wards
Quinn and a sanitation supervisor surveyed the entire 13th Ward by 1 a.m. Thursday. Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard deployed the full fleet of garbage trucks on a branch removal program Saturday and Sunday—a decision Quinn called “a really smart call.”
In the 23rd Ward, Tabares and her staff worked Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., combing through the ward block by block with Streets and Sanitation crews. Over 100 urgent requests came in about blocked entrances and streets filled with tree debris.
“There was tree debris where it had to be picked up by a clamper because it was just too heavy and too much,” Tabares said.
The 13th Ward used its five snow removal grids to organize cleanup systematically. By Monday, June 15, the city brought in heavy equipment to remove large tree trunks and branches. The Bureau of Electricity, under Art Rodriguez, coordinated to restore streetlights and traffic signals. Chicago Police and Fire departments identified hazards, including an electrical fire at 62nd and Melvina, and barricaded areas until ComEd could restore power lines.
Power was fully restored by Sunday, June 13, though high winds caused isolated outages on June 17.
As of June 19, hanging limbs were still being removed in the 23rd ward.
Federal and city support uncertain
Quinn, Lopez, and Tabares expressed skepticism about federal and state assistance. The Office of Emergency Management Communication sent out a damage survey, but Lopez warned residents not to expect help.
“I’m not holding my breath, and we are warning people not to get their hopes up,” Lopez said. “We’ve seen where the political fighting between City Hall and the White House oftentimes leaves residents on the southwest side short-changed.”
Quinn expressed similar frustration.
“It does feel like the federal government has turned its back on our community in particular,” he said, noting that the 13th Ward has experienced record-breaking disasters in consecutive years — severe basement flooding in 2025 and now this storm.
Lopez said he has not seen state assistance.
“I haven’t seen dollar one come from Springfield since last year on any of these items, so I doubt that we’re going to see any of that this time around,” he said, though he credited State Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar with bringing resources back to the community.
Tabares encouraged residents to fill out the damage assessment survey.
“Reporting is voluntary, but it doesn’t guarantee disaster relief assistance. But it helps just to gain an understanding for IEMA and OEMC,” she said.
Assistance programs available
CEDA Utility Assistance: The Community and Economic Development Association can help residents with utility bill payments after storm damage and with hot water tanks, furnaces, and air conditioning units damaged in extreme weather.
Go to: https://www.cedaorg.net/en
City Roof & Porch Program: The city has a program to help homeowners repair damaged roofs and porches. However, the program has a “once in a lifetime” restriction. “That may make sense when you have a 100-year storm every 100 years, but it no longer makes sense when you have 100-year storm every month,” Lopez said, calling on the city to waive the restriction. While the program is closed to new residents due to high demand. Inclusion in upcoming program lotteries can be had during open enrollment periods.
For information to to: https://311.chicago.gov/s/article/Home-Repair-Program-formerly-Roof-and-Porch-Program?language=en_US
Food Assistance: The Greater Lawn WIC clinic is offering fresh fruit and vegetable distributions on July 8, August 12, and September 9 at 4150 West 55th Street.
Visit chicago.gov/wic for more information.
How to report damage and avoid scams
Residents impacted by the June 10-11 storms should complete the damage assessment survey at: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/56bafe3b44854af192993d73a2201765
For suspected home repair scams, use the CHI 311 system by calling 3-1-1, using the CHI311 mobile app, or visiting 311.chicago.gov.
Tabares urged residents to continue documenting damage and report any debris that has not been picked up to the alderman’s office.