Sunday night’s severe storms caused 60 to 100 downed trees and power outages in Geneva, according to alerts from the city’s Public Works Department.
Geneva had about 4,500 customers without power, according to an email from city spokesman Kevin Stahr.
“Public Works continues working to restore the remaining 300 customers who do not have service,” according to Stahr’s email.
The Peyton Street substation went offline, and city crews are investigating what exactly triggered the outage.
The largest area without service is Anderson Boulevard to the Fox River and north of State Street/Illinois Route 38.
The National Weather Service reported on Monday afternoon “we have determined that an EF-0 tornado occurred in the Elburn area & 2 EF-0 tornado paths have been found on the south side of Chicago. Survey teams continue to working hard this afternoon.”
Restoring power
Public Works has been working around the clock to restore power to customers.
More than 300 customers in the Anderson Boulevard area remain without service along with other smaller pockets as of today.
Due to the severity of the storm, electric poles were snapped in some areas bringing down power lines.
The repair process is tedious and could extend 24 to 48 hours, if not longer.
Public Works requested mutual aid from Rantoul and Princeton to assist bringing customers back online, according to the city’s alert system.
With the heat index expected to reach 105 this afternoon, the city activated its cooling centers for people who need a break from the heat, but they do not have overnight accommodations.
The Geneva Township Senior Center at Wheeler Park and Harrison Street School are without power.
Public Works is also addressing smaller outages that occurred from tree branches falling into power lines. The city estimates the storm knocked down between 60 to 100 parkway and private trees overnight, according to the alerts
The city is investigating the outages, and updates will be posted when more information is available, according to the alerts.
Residents are advised to stay tuned to the latest alerts from the National Weather Service or other trusted weather outlets.
As a reminder, residents who have to report outages or urgent storm-related incidents should call Geneva police at 630-232-4736, who will then dispatch the appropriate Public Works staff. People should call 911 in case of an emergency.
Roadways that were reopened after removal of fallen trees, electric poles and power lines include: Maple Lane; West Lane; Center Street from Highbury and West Lanes; Paddock Court; Greenwich Lane; Franklin Street at Fifth Street; Manchester Course; Britta Lane; and the alley behind Richards Street.
Other areas throughout Geneva may have smaller branches and debris in the roadway. Motorists are asked to use caution when driving.
The city will provide additional updates later today.