May 31, 2008 7:24 am US/Eastern
Storm Damage, Outages Plague Northern Illinois
Immediate Chicago Area Is Spared Following Violent Storms
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Cari DeBoer of Manteno, Ill., examines the shattered rear windshield of her car May 30, 2008. She says she believed golfball-sized hail was to blame.
CBS
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In Springfield, the storm brought violent rain and wind, and a tornado warning that sent state lawmakers to the basement of the Capitol.
CBS
Hundreds of northern Illinois residents were without power Saturday morning following a violent storm system, but the Chicago area got off easy compared with some areas downstate.
As of 4:30 a.m. Saturday, there were 9,300 power outages throughout the ComEd service area, which includes all of Northern Illinois as far west as the Galena area. The outages were concentrated in Rockford, where about 1,000 customers were without power, and Waukegan, where 700 were without power, ComEd officials said.
The remaining customers without electricity are scattered throughout south suburbs, ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick said. The city of Chicago and its nearest suburbs have no reportable outages.
ComEd has sent out 310 crews that will work throughout the day to restore service, he said.
Reports of outages began coming in about 10 a.m. Friday and outages peaked about 12:30 p.m. with 69,000 customers without power. Strong winds gusting to 65 mph took down tree branches and power lines, causing most of the outages, Burdick said.
The severe weather also knocked a semitrailer from a highway near Marengo and lifted the roof from a building at Rockford's airport. But downstate, the storm brought tornadoes.
In Springfield, the state House of Representatives was in mid-debate when proceedings were interrupted by air raid sirens.
Lawmakers dropped the subject of healthier food in school cafeterias and followed the orders of statehouse guards who herded them downstairs. The tunnels beneath the 120-year-old building were packed with people for about 45 minutes. House Speaker Michael Madigan, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard mingled with lobbyists, reporters and secretaries.
"It was extremely hot down there ... I was concerned about some people being overheated," said Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich was nowhere to be seen. Aides said he was in a secure location.
The National Weather Service said there were eight reports of touchdowns, four in Sangamon County and one each in Christian, Morgan, Pike, and Shelby counties in central Illinois. The reports are preliminary and it will take time to confirm them, officials said.
Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson said there were no immediate reports of widespread damage or injuries. A local mall was closed as a precaution. Representatives from the Morgan, Pike and Shelby County sheriff's offices said they also had not heard of injuries or major damage.
The Kankakee County town of Manteno also sustained a lot of minor damage, even though the worst part of the storm only lasted 8 to 10 minutes.
More than an hour after severe weather moved through the area, large hail could still be seen on lawns across town. Several people gathered up chucks of it to prove they weren't telling any stories about the storm they weathered.
Strong winds also damaged property, power lines and trees in several small downstate towns, many of them near Champaign.
Emergency workers also reported hail just over 4 inches in diameter in the area.
As ComEd crews work to restore power back in Northern Illinois, ComEd urges anyone who comes across a downed power to line to assume it is live, stay away and call at 1-800-EDISON1, Burdick said.
CBS 2's Mai Martinez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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