ComEd Working Around the Clock to Restore Power to Customers Impacted by Severe Storms

More than 360 ComEd crews are working around the clock to restore power after a severe storm tore through the Chicago area, causing power outages for more than 250,000 customers.  As of 8:00 p.m., power has been restored to over 96,000 customers.

The storm struck suddenly and violently.  According to the National Weather Service, the western suburbs experienced wind gusts of 60 to 90 mph, heavy rain and pounding hail.

In Addison, more than an inch of rain fell in 25 minutes.  There were a total of 3,400 lightning strokes recorded, primarily in the west and south. 

The hardest-hit areas are in ComEd’s northern region, where the utility is working with municipal officials and local businesses to provide regular updates.  Some of the communities hardest hit were Lombard, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Carol Stream, Addison, West Chicago, Villa Park, Roselle, Glendale Heights, Elgin and Glen Ellyn.

As a result, ComEd deployed its new Mobile Operations Center (MOC) to help speed the restoration effort.   The unit, which can house 25 ComEd engineers, dispatchers and other key storm response team members, comes fully equipped with the latest communications, satellite and video conferencing technology.  The MOC brings ComEd closer to its customers in times of severe weather and damage to the system.  This will optimize restoration efforts, allowing ComEd to understand and respond to customer needs faster.

Due to the violent nature of this storm and extensive damage, ComEd is expecting restoration efforts to take several days.  Most damaging to the ComEd system was lightning and high winds, which uprooted trees, downed power lines and damaged electrical equipment.  The outages are difficult and time-consuming to restore because crews will need to remove limbs and entire trees that snarled wires and snapped poles.

ComEd’s restoration process begins immediately with damage assessment.  This process enables the company to determine hardest hit areas and factors it into restoration times. The company then prioritizes outage restoration to ensure public safety first such as police and fire, then hospitals and other critical customers such as pumping stations. Next, ComEd restores feeders, which allows us to return power to the largest numbers of customers at one time, followed by smaller service restorations and individual outages.

To assist with the restoration effort ComEd has requested assistance from neighboring utilities in Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri as well as other states to supplement the 360 ComEd crews already in the field.