Flossmoor community come together to clean up after back-to-back severe storms

The South Suburbs are cleaning up after being hit with back-to-back severe storms.

In Flossmoor, community members say the cleanup is underway, but it is going slowly as generators continue to run and tree limbs litter every street.

Neighbors say this has been the worst storm season in decades and are relying on each other to clean up. 

Storms packed a punch on Tuesday after an EF-1 tornado was confirmed to have touched down near Oak Forest and Flossmoor. This was followed by another round of storms on Wednesday. Both storms occurred during the morning hours.

"It's just been nonstop. You know, it's just ... it's... we're done. It's been enough," said resident Joe Essie.

Wednesday's storms left downed power lines and tree branches in the middle of main roads.

Neighbors like Essie are making sure his family is safe.

"We're getting ready to go to our basement again," he said.

On Mustang Field in Flossmoor Park, poles and trees were left lying on the baseball field. A trampoline was blown onto Flossmoor Road and for neighbors everywhere, the power is once again out.

"It's been wild. We've had campouts in the living room. Lost power three different times," Essie said.

He says neighbors are buying up generators, sick of living without power.

"This is the third time we've been hit in the last six weeks," Essie said.

But are being met with a six- to eight-week wait.

Private tree removal companies were seen working to get branches off of neighbors' lawns. Downtown is dark, where restaurants are shut down without power.

Ann Braunstein lives off of Hutchison Road where branches and stumps line her street as well.

"Trees on houses, trees on cars. Neighbor down the street had the tree go through the roof … just catastrophic," she said.

Braunstein says she hasn't gotten word yet from her power company on when power will be restored, but she says her "bright light" is watching her community come together.

"This community, though, has been nothing but supportive of one another. We have all pitched in to help one another recover as best we can," she said.

Restaurants in Flossmoor give away free meals amid power outage 

Burgers were sizzling on the grill at the Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery with the help of propane tanks. 

Owner Carolyn Armstrong says they've been serving this community for thirty years.

"This is the first time this has ever happened around here," she said.

The first time they've experienced multiple days-long power outages in one summer.

"It's really changed the landscape of our community, but so many people are without power and we just wanted to be open, and just offer people a meal," said manager Sandi Nelson.

Flossmoor's Mayor Michelle Nelson is among those who've spent hours clearing trees and debris.

"This is our fourth major storm in five weeks and each storm we've seen wind gusts of 80 or more miles per hour," she said. "I think people are just really exhausted with cleanup efforts. However, our spirits are strong."

She says that as cleanup continues, people are really leaning on each other.

"Neighbors are coming together on all our streets to help other neighbors who maybe don't have the same resources. Maybe they don't have a generator… use part of mine," she said.

In the meantime, the grills at the Flossmoor Station will keep burning.

"If we don't have power again tomorrow well do the same thing tomorrow and Friday and whatever days we don't have power," Armstrong said.

"We may have to toss some things, but the one sentiment that keeps coming through is that we're okay and we're all together and we'll get through it together," Nelson said.

Utility crews were seen working for hours at every turn in the area.

As more storms are on the way, ComEd officials say hundreds of extra utility crews from out of state are coming to help restore power.