Tornado Hits Homewood, Flossmoor, Glenwood: Report

HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR, IL — A tornado is confirmed to have hit Homewood and Flossmoor Tuesday, National Weather Service Chicago said late Tuesday.

The large, rain-wrapped tornado was first reported by CBS to possibly be an EF-2 at minimum. National Weather Service Chicago said Tuesday evening the damage was consistent with an EF-1, NWS said.

It reportedly struck Flossmoor, Homewood, Thornton and Glenwood before veering into Northwest Indiana. The tornado tracked Southern Cook County (and possibly parts of Will County) from near southern Orland Park toward Flossmoor, NWS said.

Two other tornadoes were also confirmed as of late Tuesday. In eastern Will County from near Monee through Crete, where damage found was consistent with up to an EF-1. And in northeast Will County (between the two previous tornadoes, which includes the Mokena area), and caused damage consistent with an EF-1.

Two of the tornadoes also were found to have entered into Lake County, Indiana: one into Munster, and the other into St. John. The paths may have continued farther into northwest Indiana. Surveys will continue tomorrow, weather permitting, NWS officials said.

It's the second time in less than a month that the Homewood-Flossmoor area has been hit by a tornado. An EF-1 tornado was confirmed to have hit Homewood on July 27. It was one of 7 confirmed tornadoes that day. Orland Park was also impacted that day, when an EF-o tornado touched down in the western and northwestern parts of the village.

Homewood Village officials on Tuesday said that public safety officials and Public Works crews are out in the community assessing damage. Many downed power lines and fallen trees have been reported, and residents are reminded not to approach any. Areas south of 183rd Street appear to have sustained substantial damage, officials said.

Power at Homewood's Village Hall is out, closing it for the day.

No fatalities have been reported as of 2:30 p.m. ComEd is reporting that approximately 69 percent of Homewood customers are without power, with approximately 300,000 customers without power throughout the region.

ComEd reported on its website that "ComEd crews are working around the clock to assess damage and restore power safely and as quickly as possible. ComEd expects to restore 80 percent of current outages by noon on Aug. 13 and 99 percent by 11 p.m. on Aug. 15."

"We are hopeful these targets are a worst-case scenario and that power will be restored sooner to Homewood residents." Village officials said.

Officials reminded residents not to place portable generators against their homes or inside their garage.

"Portable generators should be placed at least 20 feet away from your home, windows, and doors," officials said. "Generators produce carbon monoxide, an odorless and colorless gas that can enter your home and can be deadly. Please follow all safety guidelines when using a generator."

The American Red Cross has reached out to Homewood Village officials and is asking residents who need assistance to call 1-800-RED-CROSS to open a case file. At this time, the Red Cross has not confirmed whether a shelter will be opened.

Homewood roads closed as of 7 p.m.

• 191st Street from Riegel Road to Loomis Avenue
• Riegel Road from 187th Street to Holbrook Road

Homewood officials were asking residents to limit unnecessary travel late Tuesday.

"Please use caution if you must be on the road, allow extra time, and be alert for downed trees, debris, standing water, and other storm-related hazards," officials said.

"Please avoid unnecessary travel. If you are safe at home, please remain there while ComEd and Public Works crews work to address hazards and clear roadways. Treat all downed power lines as if they are live and stay away from them. Please do not attempt to drive through standing water, and please treat our police officers and public works crews with respect as they work and direct traffic throughout the community."

Flossmoor Village officials reported that several trees are down and streets are blocked. The Flossmoor Road viaduct is flooded, along with many major and neighborhood roads.

Emergency crews there are working to clear roads, respond to emergency situations and assess damage.