Community Corner

ComEd: Storm 'Worst in a Decade' for Outages

Three days later, hundreds of crews still working to restore service.

Commonwealth Edison officials said the severe weather that swept through Chicagoland early Monday morning was the “worst in a decade” in terms of its impact on service.

At the storm’s peak, more than 765,000 residents systemwide were affected, the company said Tuesday in a release. Spokesman Tony Hernandez said due to the severity of the storm, the timeline for fully restoring power “could be a multiday scenario.”

As of Wednesday morning, ComEd was reporting as many as 3,000 residents in its Joliet region, which includes Romeoville, were still without power.

Find out what's happening in Romeovillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We recognize that power outages disrupt the lives and businesses of our customers,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and chief operating officer for the company. “ComEd crews are working hard to restore service to customers affected by the storm as quickly and safely as possible.”

Nearly 480 crews remain in the field working to restore service to the hardest-hit areas. The widespread outages prompted ComEd to request mutual assistance from crews in neighboring states, the company said.

Find out what's happening in Romeovillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In Tuesday’s release, ComEd blamed the outages on the lightning and high winds that caused extensive damage to trees and brought down power lines.

Romeoville Assistant Police Chief Steve Lucchesi said no injuries were reported following Monday’s storm, but in parts of the village.

ComEd offered the following suggestions for customers experiencing a prolonged outage:

  • Turn off all appliances including your furnace, water heater, and water pump.
  • Leave a lamp on so you can know when power has been restored.
  • Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed and open them only when necessary. Food will stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer, if the door remains closed. A half-full freezer will generally keep food frozen for 24 hours.
  • Customers who are on medical support equipment are strongly encouraged to evacuate to a place where they can be comfortable and safe.


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