Wednesday, April 21, 2004, 7:10 a.m.
CHICAGO - Around 5,000 customers across the ComEd system remain without power Wednesday morning following thunderstorms and tornadoes that swept through the area the night before.
Commonwealth Edison crews were working to repair damage done by the storm and restore power to the customers, according to spokeswoman Meg Amato.
At the height of the storm Tuesday, there were 15,000 customers without power, Amato said. That number decreased to about 5,000 as of 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, she said.
Around 3,000 ComEd customers in the Joliet area had no power early Wednesday, Amato said.
In and around Chicago, there were about 1,000 ComEd customers scattered throughout the city without power, she added.
A tornado watch for the area ended at 11 p.m. Tuesday, after tornadoes touching down caused extensive damage to LaSalle, Kankakee, and Will and Grundy counties, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Seeley.
In Utica, several buildings collapsed trapping people inside, prompting an Emergency Medical Services Statewide Disaster Response, Chicago Fire Department Commander Lorenzo Vazquez.
The Chicago department assisted with five ambulances, a squad car and three officials, he said.
Joliet experienced multiple downed trees and power lines and damage to homes, Seeley said.
Thunderstorms expected to roll through the area Wednesday morning were not expected to cause as much damage, according to Seeley.
Wednesday's storm was likely to bring about a half an inch of new rain to the area, with wind gusts approaching 35 to 40 miles per hour, he said. Gusts from a severe thunderstorm reach around 58 mph, he said.
Northwest Indiana was at a slight risk of severe thunderstorms, according to Seely.
According to the Chicago Department of Aviation's Web site, O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport were not experiencing delays Wednesday morning.
O'Hare International Airport had delays up to one hour and Midway Airport had delays averaging half an hour at 9 p.m. Tuesday, city Department of Aviation spokesman Dan Curtin said.
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