Chicago City Wire

The devastating storms that struck northern Illinois last night severely impacted the ComEd grid. As many as 10 simultaneous tornadoes, along with lightning and wind gusts of 70 mph, disrupted service to approximately 430,000 customers. ComEd crews have already restored power to more than 183,000 customers, or 43 percent of those affected. As of 6:30 am, over 240,000 ComEd customers were still without power.

"A storm event like this requires an all-hands-on-deck response," stated a ComEd representative. The team is working closely with local leaders and municipal partners to assess damage, coordinate resources, and identify priority issues. To ensure a safe and swift restoration process, ComEd is increasing resources and staffing. More than 3,000 field personnel will be deployed today, including 1,400 personnel from utility partners outside the region, such as Canada. Crews will prioritize restoring critical facilities like police and fire stations, nursing homes, hospitals, and essential infrastructure such as water pumping plants. This work will be followed by repairs aimed at restoring power to the greatest number of customers.

ComEd expects to restore service to 80 percent of remaining customers by 3 pm on Wednesday, July 17, and aims for 99 percent restoration by Friday, July 18.

"As crews set about their tasks in often very difficult conditions made more challenging by today’s expected severe heat," safety remains ComEd’s paramount concern. Customers are urged to stay vigilant and report outages and downed wires by calling 1-800-EDISON1 or through the website ComEd.com. "We remind customers that if you see a downed wire, stand back and assume it is energized."

For any questions about outages in specific areas or further updates on the restoration progress can be obtained from ComEd representatives.