After nasty storms blew through the area on July 27, Palos Park Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters would have probably spent some time at the village council meeting praising village staff that night.
She didn’t get that chance.
Though the weather was calm for the scheduled 6:30 p.m. start, the Kaptur Center was locked and the meeting was cancelled because the facility had no power.
The mayor was able to make up for it on Aug. 10 as she recalled a job well done by various village departments.
Tornados touched down in some neighboring communities and Palos Park received its share of weather-related damage, including power lines being knocked down.
“It takes a village to make things happen,” Milovich-Walters said. “It was amazing. To everyone’s department – thank you for everything you did during that time.”
The Public Works Department was lauded by the mayor.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Milovich-Walters said. “Thank you for all of the chipping efforts and getting trees off of the streets…it was an amazing job.”
The police also had a big hand in handling the various situations that arose during and after the storms.
“I thank them for everything they’ve done for the storms,” Milovich-Walters said. “They checked on people. (Police commissioner Dan Polk) was out there blocking roads and making sure people wouldn’t drive through (a street with) a downed wire.”
Even the Palos Park Recreation and Parks Department was praised for its work during the storm as youth camps were going on at that time and the children were swiftly moved indoors.
“They handled it beautifully,” the mayor said. “They kept the kids safe, they kept them unafraid, they kept them entertained. That could have been very traumatic for the little ones.
“We received so many compliments from parents.”
Also, the administrative staff received a shoutout from the mayor.
“The village was without power – we were on generator,” she said. “We did not have internet or phones for days.
“Yet staff worked here and did anything they could to make sure they were helping the residents and getting the word out there what was happening.”
Another storm hit the south suburbs August 9 and some neighboring communities received more wind damage and flooded streets and parking lots, but Palos Park officials said the village escaped major damage.
