Over 4K in Chicago area affected by power outages amid blizzard-like conditions
CHICAGO - The Chicago area was reporting tens of thousands of people troubled by power outages — 372 of them in the city — as blizzard-like conditions pummeled much of northern Illinois.
As of 7 a.m. Saturday, 787 ComEd customers in Cook County remained affected by power outages, according to the company’s outage map.
The city's Northwest Side neighborhoods were reporting some of the highest concentrations of customers affected — over 100 for the 36th Ward, according to ComEd.
Lake County saw 1,107 customers reporting outages, the highest total outside Cook County, according to ComEd; 85 were reported in DuPage County, 51 in Ogle County, 25 in Winnebago County, and 10 in McHenry County.
"The talented employees who have made ComEd the most reliable utility in the nation are hard at work, in treacherous conditions, throughout the region to restore power to customers following this morning’s severe weather," said Dave Perez, executive vice-president and COO at ComEd. "We recognize that any outage is frustrating to our customers, and we thank everyone for their patience as we work to safely repair damaged equipment and restore service to our customers as quickly as possible."
CLICK TO VIEW COMED'S POWER OUTAGE MAP
At its peak, about 174,000 customers were without power.
On Friday afternoon, 32 Chicago Public Schools were impacted by power outages due to the winter storm. Classes continued with the assistance of emergency power sources and power was fully restored to more than half those schools by 1 p.m.
"Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will continue to monitor the snowstorm and expected drop in temperatures in the days ahead. Our staff will continue to clear snow and will be conducting HVAC and general system checks over the weekend to ensure all our schools and facilities are in good working order. We will keep our CPS community updated if any changes are made to next week’s schedule. Schools are closed Monday, Jan. 15 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day," CPS said in a statement.
Customers can report outages and emergencies to ComEd 24/7 at 800-EDISON-1.