Key takeaways:
- The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes near Chicago, in southern Cook County and eastern Will County, with damage consistent with EF-1 tornadoes.
- A person died in Portage, Indiana, after a house explosion and fire during the storm, with officials saying the weather may have played a role but the cause remained under investigation.
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said a Roseville resident died during a health emergency when flooded roads prevented first responders from reaching the person.
Violent storms swept across the Midwest on Tuesday, knocking out power to nearly 1 million or more customers, spawning tornadoes near Chicago and leaving deaths reported in Indiana and Ohio as flooded roads, downed trees and tangled power lines slowed emergency crews.
The storms battered Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and nearby states with extreme wind, torrential rain and suspected or confirmed tornadoes. PowerOutage.us showed more than 991,000 customers without electricity across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky on Tuesday evening, CBS News reported. NBC News, citing the same tracker, reported more than 1 million customers without power across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee, with most outages in Ohio and Indiana.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes were confirmed near Chicago, one in southern Cook County and another in eastern Will County, NBC reported. Both caused damage consistent with EF-1 tornadoes. CBS News Chicago reported at least two suspected tornadoes tore through several suburbs in south Chicago and northwest Indiana.
The storm system also disrupted air travel. All flights were temporarily stopped at Chicago’s two major airports, and officials warned of delays as the backlog cleared. FlightAware showed 45% of flights in and out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport were delayed Tuesday and 10% were canceled.
In Portage, Indiana, about 30 miles southeast of Chicago, one person died after a house explosion and fire during the storm, officials said. Police said the weather is suspected to have played a role, but the cause remained under investigation. Firefighters were delayed by storm debris, and aerial images showed a wide debris field around the remains of a house that had been engulfed in flames.
Police Capt. Rob Maynard, who said he has lived in Portage for 50 years, called it “probably the most severe weather event that any of us here can remember.” Fire Chief Chris Crail said, “When this call came in, everything was breaking free.” Police Chief Mike Candiano said so many trees blocked roads that some officers parked a mile away and ran toward the home. “It seemed that every road had a tree down,” he said.
Portage Mayor Austin Bonta signed a declaration of emergency and said roads were impassable. Video from the area showed wind pushing over a trailer on a train as roof debris blew nearby, NBC reported.
In the Chicago suburb of Flossmoor, resident Gilbert Casillas described taking shelter as debris struck his home. “Wind started blowing, and you can hear debris hitting all sides of the house at the same time,” he told CBS News Chicago. “I couldn’t see more than 2 feet from outside the window. It got pretty bad. So I’m like, ‘Let’s get downstairs.’”
In nearby Homewood, Javid Jenkins, 54, said he was searching for gas to run a generator. “No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement,” he said. “We’re built for snow. We’re built for cold. We’re not built for this.”
In Tinley Park, Kerry Hourigan stood outside her damaged home of 25 years. “Total devastation. No roof,” she said. “Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared.”
In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said a Roseville resident died during a health emergency when first responders could not reach the person because of flooded roads. “This is not something that will end tonight,” DeWine said, warning that flood dangers would continue. He also declared an emergency in Perry and Muskingum counties because of flooding, with water rescues and evacuations reported.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said response teams saw “disaster-like conditions” after storms hit Ohio’s capital. He warned that power could be out for days. “Things are not going to be fully restored and back to normal later today or tomorrow, the day after that,” Ginther said.
National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Baker told CBS News the Midwest was on the outer edge of a “ring of fire,” a pattern in which high atmospheric pressure helps trigger heavy rain and thunderstorms along its edges. Forecasters said repeated rounds of rain would keep flood hazards in the Ohio Valley through early Friday.
Be First to Comment