National Weather Service confirms multiple tornadoes with Streator, Merrillville among hardest hit areas

Residents across Illinois and Indiana are waking up to severe damage after destructive tornadoes and severe storms hit on Thursday night. 

On Friday morning, the National Weather Service confirmed multiple tornado touchdowns on June 11. NSW survey crews will be deployed across the area to assess the extent of damage, which officials said could take several days. 

Crews will survey the hardest-hit areas, including Kouts and Merrillville in Northwest Indiana, and Bartlett, Naperville, Streator, and Dwight in Illinois. 

Thousands without power across Illinois, Indiana  

Over 72,000 NIPSCO customers in Indiana are without power on Friday morning. 

Gary, Dyer, and Chesterton are among the areas in Indiana most impacted by the outages. NIPSCO had to shut off power to most of the city on Thursday night. NIPSCO customers can report outages here. 

ComEd is reporting that over 165,000 customers are without power on Friday morning. Crews are responding to over 4,000 active outages.

Customers can check for alerts on the ComEd website.  

Cleanup continues after destructive tornadoes 

Cleanup for the extensive damage stretching from the western suburbs to northwest Indiana is underway for the areas hit hardest.    

Overnight, officials in Merrillville, Indiana, warned residents of road closures in the downtown area due to downed trees and power lines. Officials said a command center was established near 61st and Cleveland streets. 

"Please stay clear of any fallen utility lines or damaged utility poles as these pose a serious safety risk," officials said. 

The Andrean High School campus in Merrillville will remain closed on Friday due to significant damage. 

"There are active power lines, downed trees, broken glass, significant roof damage, etc., that make it unsafe," school officials said in a Facebook post. "While we assess the damage, mitigate safety risk, and determine next steps, we ask that you please stay away from campus until we provide an update." 

Hebron, Indiana, residents woke up to a destroyed town. 

Hebron resident Beth Bowen told CBS News Chicago that when she got out of her house safely, she found her garage had collapsed.  She said it sounded like "train." 

"We felt the pressure, our ears were popping, we thought the doors were going to blow over in our laundry room, it was shaking so bad," Bowen said. "We felt the house move." 

Dwight, Illinois, was also among the hardest hit areas. Debris was left behind after a tornado was spotted, making contact with the ground. 

Extensive damage was reported in Bridgeview, Illinois, where trees were uprooted, and telephone poles snapped. 

The fire chief said two apartment buildings were evacuated, and residents are taking refuge at the Bridgeview Village Hall. 

The NWS will be conducting a survey in Bridgeview on Friday.