Will County storm recovery focused on restoring power, getting aide to people in need

Will County — As the National Weather Service continues to confirm tornado touchdowns after severe storms barreled through northern and central Illinois Monday night, the Will County Emergency Management Agency is working to get power restored and debris cleared.

“We’re doing pretty good recovering power,” Will County EMA Director Allison Anderson said Wednesday afternoon. “We’re down to about 12,000 customers without power now, which is significantly lower than where we started Monday night, and we’re hoping by tomorrow it will be even more significantly decreased. That’s our biggest goal right now.”

Although Anderson said there are “pockets” of people without power throughout the county, she noted that Joliet and Manhattan were the hardest-hit communities.

As of Thursday morning, ComEd reports more than 5,000 customers in Will County are still without service.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that three tornadoes moved through the Joliet area Monday night, including one EF-1 storm that touched down in Minooka before moving through Shorewood and the west side of Joliet with winds blowing up to 110 mph and stopping near the Des Plaines River.

Two more tornadoes moved through the area Monday night, a second EF-1 that traveled from Channahon into Manhattan, and an EF-0 that moved through Lockport and Crest Hill.

Getting help to residents

As ComEd works to restore power to the area, the Will County EMA is trying to get aide to disadvantaged residents, including seniors, low-income residents and people with disabilities, who “don’t have the resources” to deal with the aftermath of the storm, Anderson said.

The EMA is working with local nonprofit groups that may be able to provide assistance to residents that public works departments cannot at little or no cost.

“Our public works departments from the townships and cities have been great doing cleanup,” Anderson said. “They’re clearing as much as possible as fast as possible, but as government employees, they cannot go too far onto people’s property to handle issues in backyards or driveways. If residents can get the debris down to the street or the right-of-way, we can come get rid of it, but that’s why we’re currently looking for not-for-profit groups, which might be able to help.”

Anderson said the EMA will release a list of organizations that residents can call for assistance as soon as it gets more information.

American Red Cross is out helping get meals to people who need them.

Currently, she said, The Salvation Army is on the ground providing food and bottled water for people in Manhattan, where power lines have left many without water from their well and septic systems and at least three houses were significantly damaged, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said.

The EMA also is working on providing portable toilets for residents in the area, and at least one school has opened its locker room facilities for residents to shower.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office reported that the Ranch Oak subdivision in Manhattan is the only area in the county where roads are facing complete closures from debris.

Assessing damage, restoring power

“I know people are frustrated,” Anderson said of those remaining without power. “We all are. I know we’re coming to the point where people are worried about food going bad, and it’s taking time, but with the magnitude of this storm, ComEd’s crews are spread thin. Please hang tight. They are restoring power as fast as they can.”

Anderson noted that the storms were so widespread that they encompassed ComEd’s entire territory, and the power company has brought in an additional 1,500 workers to Illinois from Canada to assist with the cleanup efforts.

“We will get through this,” Anderson said. “We hope everyone will have power back within the next 24 to 48 hours. I applaud you for holding out this long.”

Anderson also advised residents with and without power to be careful not to injure or overexert themselves when dealing with debris in continued hot and humid conditions, and to document all damage done to their property with photographs before reaching out to their insurance companies.

The Will County EMA is currently working on arranging assessors to visit the affected communities and determine whether the areas will qualify for financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Anderson said she hopes those assessors will be able to be out in the community by Friday or Saturday and noted that while they will be asking for personal information about insurance, it is important to provide answers so the financial impact of the “unparalleled” storms on the community can be accurately calculated.

Working to reopen I-55

A ComEd official said Wednesday that the company expected to complete its end of work on a closed section of Interstate 55 by midnight, but that does not mean the highway will reopen immediately.

The stretch of I-55 from Route 6 in Channahon to River Road in Wilmington would reopen Thursday if all goes well, but a state official noted that the road still needs to be inspected for damage.

The section of highway south of Joliet has been closed since tornadic winds toppled two 200-foot-high transmission towers along with high tension wires onto the highway Monday night.

Herald-News reporter Bob Okon contributed to this story.