Power Returns; Less Than 400 Customers Still With No Electricity (Updated)

UPDATED (12:31 p.m. Tuesday, June 25): Information from a ComEd spokeswoman.

High winds from Monday's storm were the major cause of the power outages, which have left around 63,000 ComEd customers without power throughout the state as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, said Ashley Dennison, a spokeswoman for the utility. In some areas, gusts reached as high as 75 mph, she added.

ComEd currently has 445 workers in crews out in the field in order to restore power to customers, Dennison said. Priority is given to public health and safety facilities, such as police departments and fire stations, she added.

The number of workers on the job will increase to 535 later this afternoon, Dennison said. The additional crews will be deployed to continue taking care of Monday's storm damage, as well as preparing for the possibility of more bad weather coming through in the late afternoon and evening, which could lead to additional outages, she said.  

Although she couldn't confirm when all power would be restored, Dennison said ComEd might have a specific time when customers can expect their electricity to return later this afternoon.

UPDATED (10:57 a.m. Tuesday, June 25): Information about how many customers still without power.

Tinley Park residents are beginning to see their power restored throughout the village. As of 10:55 a.m. Tuesday, only about 389 customers were without electricity in the village, according to ComEd's online power outage map. The majority of the customers were in the area from 159th to 177th streets, between Harlem and Central avenues, the map indicates.

UPDATED (9:24 a.m. Tuesday, June 25): Outage map and power restoration times added.

As of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, close to 700 ComEd customers in Tinley Park still were without power, according to the utility's online power outage map. In most cases, ComEd estimated that power would be restored by noon Wednesday, June 26.

The map in this article shows the largest affected areas in Tinley Park and Oak Forest. A little more than 900 customers are without power in the areas in red on the map. The estimated time for power to be restored in those neighborhoods is noon Wednesday.
About 125 customers are without power in the blue area. ComEd is still investigating the cause of that outage and does not have an estimated time when power will be restored.

UPDATED (10:53 p.m. Monday, June 24): Information from the city and updates from ComEd.

At one point after Monday evening's severe storm, more than 4,700 ComEd customers were without power in Tinley Park, according to a press release from the village. As of 10:46 p.m., 3,114 customers still were without power in the village, according to ComEd's online power outage map.

Tinley Park High School and Water Pump Station No. 2 also had no power, the village release stated, citing ComEd officials.

READ: Wind Gusts Rip Off Dugout Roof, Knock Down Trees, Fences

ComEd will prioritize restoring power to public health and safety facilities, such as police departments and fire stations, as well as water reclamation plants, assisted living homes and communication systems, the release stated, adding that smaller neighborhoods and individual service would follow those.

As of 10:45 p.m., ComEd did not have a cause for the outages and did not know when power would be restored, according to the power outage map.

Although trees and other debris was scattered throughout the village, no injuries were reported, the release stated. Residents who want downed tree limbs and branches removed from their property need to put them on their curb by 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 26—48 hours after the storm—for Public Works crews to collect them, according to the release.

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Past that time, NuWay Disposal will handle removal tree limbs and branches as long as the branches are cut in 4-foot lengths and placed in bundles no bigger than 3-feet in diameter.

Original Story (posted 8:06 p.m. Monday, June 24)

The severe thunderstorm that blew through Tinley Park and the south suburbs early Monday evening might have been brief, but it still made its presence felt with residents.

More than 2,000 ComEd customers in Tinley Park were without power Monday, June 24, and trees and branches littered village streets.

As of 7:45 p.m., ComEd was still investigating the cause of an outage that had 1,441 customers in the dark between Harlem and Oak Park avenues, from 167th to 177th streets, according to the utility's online power outage map. This included knocking out the power to the traffic light at 171st Street and Oak Park Avenue.

Other areas without power included 1,151 customers near 177th Street and Highland Avenue, and 389 customers just west of Ridgeland Avenue, near Pine Ridge Drive.

A large tree also blocked an eastbound lane of 171st Street, near Overhill Avenue. Crews already were on hand to try to take care of it.

Patch will continue to update this story.