PALOS, IL—Palos residents are chainsawing and cleaning up storm debris after being sucker punched by two back-to-back storms that whipped through the area Wednesday and Thursday, packing straight-line winds exceeding 80 mph.
Reports of a tornado touching down in one of the Paloses Thursday evening were “viral rumors,” according to Palos Park Police Chief Joe Miller.
Out of an estimated 2,289 Palos Park customers, an estimated 719 residents experienced outages. As of Friday evening, 190 residents have been restored, or 26.4 percent of the outages. The number of residents remaining without power is 529.
“The public works and police departments have been working tirelessly in the aftermath of these intense storms,” Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said on Facebook. “The public works crew is working on removing all debris that is not touching ComEd lines.
If your storm debris has not been picked up, call the Palos Park Public Works Department at 708-671-3721 or email publicworks@palospark.org.
Power outages in Palos Heights were widespread from Wednesday's storm. After making significant progress throughout the day, the community experienced a second round of storms Thursday that resulted in additional fallen tree limbs and debris across Palos Heights. Fortunately, no new widespread power outages were reported.
“We are pleased to report that power has now been restored to more than 85 percent of Palos Heights residents and businesses,” city officials said in a statement on Facebook. . “This is a tremendous accomplishment considering that approximately 95 percent of the community lost power following the initial storm.”
In addition to thanking ComEd, city officials thanked its small public works department, who’ve been clearing roadways and addressing fallen branches after two challenging days.
Cleanup efforts will continue in the coming days, and residents can expect enhanced chipper services over the next two weeks to assist with storm debris removal.
To report tree limbs on utility lines, visit the Palos Heights storm center. You have to create an account to successfully submit the forms.
Visit Palos Heights.for a complete storm update.
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