Severe storms leave trail of damage across Chicagoland

Yahoo

20-03-2025

The Brief
Powerful storms swept through the Chicago area on Wednesday, leaving damage from the southwest suburbs to northwest Indiana.
High winds overturned vehicles, uprooted trees, and damaged homes.
A Gary school will remain closed due to storm-related damage.
CHICAGO - Powerful storms barreled through Chicagoland on Wednesday, leaving behind damage from the southwest suburbs all the way through northwest Indiana.
In Will County, a wake of damage followed this afternoon's Tornado Warning.
When the sirens sounded, residents were sent indoors—but outside, downed trees and power lines were left scattered from the high winds and heavy rain.
In the 800 block of Eunice Avenue in Joliet, tree branches were scattered across the road, roofing was torn from area homes, and for Jim Stegall—his pickup truck went 'missing' from his driveway.
"I run to the dining room, I look out the dining room window and it's raining really hard, you can't hardly see, just see the trees going back and forth, I said 'wow,' I called my friend and said, 'let's go to the basement,'" Stegall said.
Once Stegall took cover, he said "it was quiet as a mouse."
When he came back upstairs, Stegall noticed his grill was no longer on his back patio.
"Then I look a little farther, I don't see my truck in the driveway, I look across the driveway and there it is on the side against my neighbor's tree," said Stegall.
Stegall called a tow truck to turn it right side up and is contacting his insurance company.
Meanwhile, it wasn't the only truck that was overturned.
In New Lenox, high winds took down a UPS semi with a double trailer near Cedar and Laraway.
The incident shut down a portion of the roadway for hours until crews came to return it upright.
"On days like this, we take extra care to keep an eye on the weather," said John Lukancic. "Things can pop up very fast."
Lukancic is the director of Joliet's Office of Emergency & Disaster Management. On Wednesday, he was keeping close watch on the radar and ComEd's outage map.
Soon, however, a group of Joliet residents will also be trained to step in during emergencies, including tornadoes.
"We have a lot of people keeping an eye on the skies. Right now, we're doing our CERT program, and we're going to be training them to be spotters, so our goal is to have spotters all over the place so we can get the information in as real timely manner as possible," Lukancic said.
CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team and consists of a multi-week course.
"The CERT program is something new for Joliet, but it's been around since the eighties in the United States," Lukancic said. "We do search and rescue for building collapse, we do weather spotting."
Once trained, CERT volunteers may be called upon to respond when the need arises.
For more information on Joliet's CERT program and how to participate if you are a resident, click HERE.
Powerful winds frightened Highland residents and caused multiple trees to uproot.
Families rushed to their basements for cover as the severe weather swept through.
Three families along Forrest Drive all had the same story, with trees toppling onto their homes. Several trees pierced roofs, leaving behind structural and exterior damage.
Neighbors told FOX 32 conditions escalated quickly. Around 6 p.m., tornado sirens sounded, followed by large booms.
Roofs and windows are now wrecked. There was damage to gutters and sidewalks as well.
Tree removal crews were in the area, preparing for massive cleanup efforts on Thursday.
There were no injuries reported.
"Attention McCullough Families:
We hope this message finds you safe and well following this evening's tornado. Unfortunately, due to damage sustained by the school, McCullough Academy will be closed on Thursday, March 20th and Friday, March 21st.
All teachers and staff will report to the Gary Area Career Center, 1800 E. 35th Ave., at their usual work time.
For parents who are scheduled to meet in person with teachers on Friday for report card pick-up, these meetings will now take place at your originally scheduled times.
Please continue to monitor Skyward , ClassDojo, social media, our website (Garyschools.org) and WGVE 88.7 FM for updates regarding school operation after spring break.
We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. We are especially grateful that no one was injured during this weather emergency.
Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families.
Thank you for your continued support, and have a safe extended Spring Break."