Forty-eight hours after a severe storm swept over the area Sunday afternoon over 1,000 are still without power in Oak Park and River Forest. As of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday ComEd reported 797 customers without power in Oak Park and 233 in River Forest.
For Oak Park it represents a significant drop from a high of 3,263 without power at 12:30 a.m.
Efforts to restore power in Oak Park Monday night were one step forwards, two steps back. At of 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning ComEd is reporting 3,263 customers without power in Oak Park, more than double the number it previously reported at 9:30 p.m. Monday night when the number had declined to its lowest point of the day at 1,504.
The number of customers without power in River Forest continues to decline, and was 298 early Tuesday morning, down from 1,383 Monday night. Earlier Monday those numbers reached a high point of 1,809 in River Forest and what had previously been the high point of 1,743 customers in Oak Park.
In sharp contrast to Oak Park and River Forest where thousands remain without power, neighboring Forest Park has just six customers without power. For more information visit ComEd’s outage map here.
At 10:40 p.m. Dominican University tweeted that power had been restored to its main campus. Power was still out at the Priory campus several blocks away, but classes at the main campus will be held July 3.
Sunday afternoon’s severe storm that trounced the villages left thousands without power Monday when temperatures reached past 100 degrees. Dominican University, Concordia University and the main branch of the Oak Park Public Library all closed Monday due to the power outages.
The majority of damage from Sunday’s storm occurred south of Lake Street in Oak Park, according to Village Communications Director David Powers, who said crews were on the scene from 2 till 8 p.m., assessing damage around the village.
Powers said no complete trees were uprooted, though some were split in half, particularly in the 600 block of South Scoville where there is expected to be “significant tree loss.” He said winds in Oak Park hit 82 mph, according to an gauge at Lake and Lombard.
All streets were open by the end of Sunday. The exception was Garfield between Lombard and Harvey which was closed to accommodate a large portable generator being used to keep the south water pumping station powered. That station is tied to the water reservoir under the Barrie Park tennis courts at that site.
Notable residential and commercial power outages remain in south Oak Park and in River Forest, according to the ComEd website on Monday morning.
The main branch of the Oak Park Public Library on Lake Street is closed since it doesn’t have power; the other two branches are open but do not have Internet because the system is connected to the main library.
A portion of River Forest was without power Monday. The most affected areas were west from Lathrop Avenue to Thatcher Avenue, and from Madison Street to North Avenue, according to the village website. As of about 3:30 p.m., electrical service had been restored to a large portion of that area, though scattered outages remained.
The site said ComEd crews were on scene Monday afternoon at several locations but there is no estimate of when power in other affected areas might be restored.
Evening classes at Dominican University were cancelled and the Crown Library will remain closed Monday evening. The only exception, according to a statement on the school’s website, is LIS 776, which will be held as scheduled at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago. The power outage at Dominican cancelled daytime classes as well.
Concordia University, 7400 Augusta Street, was without power and closed classes for the entire day Monday, as well as office operations and scheduled events, according to the university’s website.
District 90’s summer school classes were also cancelled because the power was out at Lincoln and Willard elementary schools, its website said.
Powers said most of the limbs were brushed to the side of streets, but public works crews will likely be working the rest of the week on cleanup efforts.
He said it’s important for residents to remember that tree debris is not supposed to be dragged to the curb. Residents should still use the yard waste program and package up whatever can be. Larger debris will be collected by a private company. Failing to follow these procedures, he said, will slow up the village’s efforts to get public parkways cleared.
Public tree limbs that have fallen onto private property can be cleaned up by the village and residents can call the Public Works Department, 708-358-5700, for assistance.