Tornadoes South of Chicago Cause Widespread Damage, Power Outages

Authorities and residents searched tornado-ravaged areas and assessed damage Friday after a strong line of storms barreled through communities south of Chicago, leaving around 380,000 customers without power in Illinois and Indiana and disrupting air travel in the region.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or life-threatening injuries from Thursday's storms.

Officials in Merrillville, Indiana, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, reported extensive damage. Homes and other buildings were torn apart, downed trees and power lines blocked streets and part of a high school's roof was ripped off.

Multiple agencies from the region helped local first responders search and assessed damaged areas, town officials said on social media. Crews worked into the night clearing roads.

At least two other tornadoes battered communities in and around Streator, Illinois, and Hebron, Indiana, the National Weather Service reported. Photos and video posted on social media showed damage in those areas similar to that in Merrillville. The weather service said it will be surveying the damage over the next several days to determine how many tornadoes touched down in the region.

In Streator, a manufacturing and farm city about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, emergency crews were also inspecting the damage. A reunification center for displaced residents was set up in its city hall and the Red Cross opened a shelter.

Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said there were no reported deaths. “We are incredibly grateful for the safety of our residents and the quick action of emergency personnel,” she said in a statement.

First responders also worked through the night in Hebron, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, officials said in a Facebook post.

Jennifer Hall was in her garage in Elkhart, Indiana, as the winds and rain picked up Thursday evening. Suddenly, she said, she heard a loud crash and discovered a tree limb had gone through the roof of her rental home. She used buckets to catch the rain coming in from the hole.

“I’m just nervous because it’s just been one thing after another,” said Hall, explaining she just had surgery and her husband is out of town.

About 235,000 homes and businesses were without power in Illinois, including 144,000 in Cook County, home to Chicago, according to poweroutage.us. Another 144,000 customers were in the dark in Indiana.

The storms delayed or halted flights at airports in some cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York on Thursday. Parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic also strained under high heat and humidity. On Friday morning, 15 flights were canceled and about two dozen delayed at Chicago’s O’Hare International and Midway International airports, a small percentage of total flights, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.

The tornadoes came after severe storms swept through the Midwest on Wednesday, knocking out power, damaging buildings and canceling flights.

In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless encampment in a park Wednesday after being hit by a tree that “broke apart and fell during strong storms,” police said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries from those storms.

Associated Press reporters Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.