Prisco's Family Market on Aurora's West Side closed until further notice after storm damage

Chicago Tribune

15 hours ago

Prisco's Family Market on Aurora's West Side is closed until further notice after storms on Monday evening damaged the building.
The longtime, locally-owned grocery store announced the closure, citing damage from the storms, in a Facebook post early Tuesday morning. Later that day, caution tape could be seen blocking the store's entrance and the back of the store.
Store owner Andy Guzauskas told The Beacon-News on Tuesday afternoon that he hopes to get the store back up and running soon, but at this point he isn't sure when that will be. The building is still being assessed by engineers and insurance officials, he said, and it is still unclear what exactly caused the damage.
Aurora Fire Department crews responded to the store at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday after reports of water rushing into the store during the storms that night, according to a city of Aurora public safety spokesperson.
The store closes at 8 p.m. every day of the week but Sunday, when it closes at 7 p.m.
Responding firefighters found significant damage to the rear of the building after part of the back wall gave way, the spokesperson said.
One employee was inside the building at the time, but they were removed safely, and no injuries were reported, the public safety spokesperson said. The Facebook post from Prisco's Family Market also said that everyone was safe.
Aurora Property Standards responded and determined that the rest of the structure appeared to be sound, according to the spokesperson. However, they said that residents with back yards bordering the store were warned to stay clear of the building, and the parking lot near the damaged area was taped off.
When asked about the impact that the closure is likely to have on his business, Guzauskas said that it is 'definitely going to be a tough go,' though he isn't sure what the long-term effects will be yet.
The outpouring from the community has been wonderful, and everyone has been willing to help, though there isn't much anyone can do at the moment, according to Guzauskas. Coming up on 100 years in operation within the community, he said, it is 'awesome' to see people willing to step up when the business needs help.
'We can't wait to get back going at it and serve the community,' he said.
The Monday evening storms came on the heels of severe thunderstorms over the weekend that caused damage and power outages across the region. In the Aurora area, the storms left thousands without power and in particular did significant damage to Fox Valley Park District facilities.
City of Aurora residents with downed limbs from the storms don't need to wait until garbage day, they can place limbs on the curb immediately, according to a city Facebook post from Monday evening. The post said that the city will allow tree branches to be placed on the parkway outside of regular garbage days for two weeks.
Branches and limbs from a half-inch to four inches in diameter and two to four feet in length must be bundled, with each bundle weighing less than 50 pounds, the city's Facebook post said.
Bundled brush can be placed on the curb without a waste sticker, according to the Facebook post, but brush less than a half-inch in diameter is considered yard waste, so it must be placed in a kraft paper yard waste bag with a waste sticker attached.
In a post to his personal campaign Facebook page Monday evening, Aurora Mayor John Laesch praised both city employees for their hard work in cleaning up from the storm and residents' efforts to help each other out.
'Please keep looking out for our neighbors,' Laesch said in the post. 'We are always #AuroraStrongerTogether.'