Over 400,000 without power after severe storms across Illinois, Indiana on Tuesday
Over 400,000 customers are without power after destructive storms hit across Illinois and Indiana on Tuesday.
At its peak, ComEd reported that more than 370,000 customers were experiencing outages, with the hardest-hit areas in the southwest suburbs, where at least three tornadoes had touched down.
It could take another three days for power to be fully restored. ComEd expects 80% of people will have power back by noon on Wednesday. Customers can check the outage map for real-time updates.
As of Tuesday at 9 p.m., over 300,000 NIPSCO customers are still without power, nearly 60% of customers. NIPSCO reported that areas hit the hardest in Indiana included Crown Point, Hammond, Gary, Highland, Griffith, Merrillville, Dyer, and East Chicago.
A line of destructive thunderstorms with winds over 90mph barreled through communities, leaving them destroyed.
In Highland, Indiana, where nearly 10,000 are without power, trees tore into the roofs of homes and limbs littered the streets.
In Portage, Indiana, one person was killed in a house explosion in Portage, Indiana, during a severe weather outbreak on Tuesday afternoon. The area was hit hard with storm damage during Tuesday's storms. Neighbors say they were out here helping with the downed trees and debris when they heard and felt the explosion.
Portage and Crown Point schools canceled classes on Wednesday due to power outages and families dealing with storm damage.
Indiana State Police Sergeant Glen Fifield posted on social media, warning drivers to fill up gas tanks outside Lake and Porter counties for the next few days. He said gas stations that are open may run out of fuel due to power outages.
