Residents continued to clean up damage from three tornadoes that swept through the south and southwest suburbs July 27, even as more rain was forecast for the weekend.
National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack said rain began rolling into the Chicago metropolitan area Friday afternoon and would continue on and off into Saturday. He said to expect about an inch of rain, with 2 to 3 inches possible in some areas.
“Lightning threat looks pretty low, no severe weather expected,” he said. “So the main concerns is any low-lying areas that could pond or flood in heavier rainfall.”
Yack reminded residents to make sure fallen trees or branches don’t block any storm drains and be extra careful not to drive through flooded water, where debris might not be visible.
The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday evening that an EF-1 tornado had passed through Hazel Crest, Homewood, Country Club Hills and Harvey, while an EF-0 tornado hit Orland Park. An EF-1 tornado with peak winds near 110 mph was previously confirmed in Lansing.
The path of the EF-1 tornado that passed through Hazel Crest, Homewood, Country Club Hills and Harvey formed an unusual curlicue shape, Yack said, with the tornado passing through one area in near 169th Street and Anthony Avenue twice.
“You had a couple areas of rotation that were kind of merging together beneath a broader area of circulation within the storm itself,” he said. “When you have those weird motions like that, you can sometimes get these weird tornado paths that form.”
Power was restored to about 98% of customers by Friday, according to ComEd. Homewood reported Friday morning electricity was restored to the Village Hall, but 12% of its residents were still without power.
In preparation for more rain, the village asked residents to avoid traveling through the flood-prone Dixie Highway viaduct.
Officials in both Cook and Will counties issued disaster declarations, allowing them to request additional resources as recovery efforts continue. State Sen. Michael Hastings said the county’s declarations were needed before Gov. JB Pritzker issues his own declaration and seeks federal aid.
Hastings, D-Frankfort, said three trees in his own backyard were uprooted during the storms. He was shocked by the extent of the damage he saw across multiple communities.
Hastings said he was particularly affected by one woman he spoke with as she was taking her puppy out, seeing her building had been condemned due to the storm damage. She told him she was continuing to live at the apartment despite it being structurally unsound.
“And that’s the sad part. Folks, they just have nowhere to go,” he said.
Hastings said he hoped the federal government would step in, given the level of need. But he said he was aware of and concerned about reports that President Donald Trump was taking longer to approve disaster aid, and denying aid more frequently, when requests came from Democratic states.
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“I think there’s a threshold value as to the amount of damage that’s occurred, but the threshold here, I mean, it’s pretty obvious,” he said.
Alexander Joves, Cook County executive director of emergency management and regional security, said results of an online resident survey at cookgov.me/july/storm/help will aid the county and state in determining whether the threshold of damage is met for federal assistance. The survey, open until Aug. 7, asks people to describe and submit photos of their property damage.
In the meantime, the American Red Cross opened a shelter to provide aid to people displaced or otherwise affected by the storm at Steger’s Louis Sherman Community Center, 3501 Hopkins Street.
Fay Kiaurakis, the center’s director, said the Red Cross intends to continue operating the shelter at least through the week of Aug. 3.
“They said they won’t leave until they have housing for everybody that’s here and everybody that comes in,” Kiaurakis said.
The shelter opened after the storm struck July 27. Some families have been able to return home, Kiaurakis said.
“One family that had about eight kids attached to it, I don’t know if it was two families or just one big family, but they were able to go home, basically, yesterday,” Kiaurakis said Friday.
However, the level of need is still high. The shelter served 125 people for lunch Thursday, she said.
“I’ve been trying to keep up with the Red Cross on, are our numbers increasing, are they decreasing?” Kiaurakis said. “They seem to be increasing.”