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May 11, 2008 6:37 pm US/Central
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Storm Damage Wreaks Havoc Across Area
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Nasty weather pummeled the Chicago area Sunday – damaging homes and battering residents.
City crews have been responding to hundreds of calls of downed trees tossed around by the strong winds. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports on a downed tree that fell on a Logan Square home.
A tree crashing into his front porch wasn't the Mother's Day event that Francisco Carnacia expected. He was in his home of 40+ years when the wind uprooted it. His daughter said this is not the first Mother's Day calamity.
"About 15 years ago, we had a fire on Mother's Day and it took the whole house practically," said Wanda Rosario.
She admitted next Mother's Day the family might be a little more cautious.
The day's gusty winds did do damage, most of it minor, all over the city. Not a good day to be outside. It also kept city crews very busy. And folks on the 2500 block of West Cortland hope the winds die down before it takes another tree down.
"It's swaying back and forth as the wind goes, so it's pretty bad," said West Bucktown resident Marta Morales.
She says she's hoping the city takes it down.
"We asked already and the workers said they would ask their boss about it tomorrow," Morales said.
Morales said fortunately the damage to the house was all on the outside. But again, it's not just trees down, it's power lines, light poles down – a lot of damage to the city, but city crews are working on it.
As of 4 p.m., the city's Department of Streets & Sanitation's Bureau of Forestry and Bureau of Electricity has received reports of 298 damaged trees, 47 traffic signal problems, 32 damaged light poles and 22 downed city wires, the department said.
The department stressed the majority of the tree damage was minor and the overall storm damage is considered light.
The National Weather Service said winds could gust up to 40 miles per hour Sunday evening, when temperatures will approach 51 degrees with a 70-percent chance of more rain.
The strong winds are expected to continue Sunday night, when storms will gradually clear and temperatures will fall near 43-degrees, the National Weather Service said.
A wind advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. for NW Indiana Sunday.
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