Tornado sirens blare across Chicago and the suburbs as heavy winds and rain rip through
CHICAGO - Tornado sirens blared in Chicago and many suburbs on Saturday as the entire area was slammed with heavy rains and flash floods.
Saturday's storm may have produced a tornado near Crete, Illinois. In that area, a 63-year-old woman became trapped under a tree as she and her husband stepped outside.
"We started pulling branches away as fast as we could. I’ve never seen anything like that." said neighbor George Chrusch.
Crete fire officials shot cell phone video of a funnel cloud seen around 2pm. Much of the day many roads became impassable, driving visibility was poor and lots of trees were submerged.
In Dyer and Schererville, there was widespread damage, power lines down, and many trees blocking roadways.
"The storm just blew out of no where and knocked down all of our trees. It’s been a big mess," Dyer resident Nancy Phillips said.
Streets across Chicago were flooded, and the Chicago Fire Department said they rescued "many" people trapped in cars surrounded by floodwaters.
At Lawrence and Rockwell in Chicago, the heavy rains caused water to geyser out of manholes 3 stories into the air. A tree smashed down on Lake Shore Drive near 63rd.
On Chicago's Northwest Side, the storm led to the collapse of a roof at Caliber Collision Repair shop at 76th and West Irving Park Road. No one was hurt.
Sirens blare as severe storms slam Chicago area with at least one tornado, heavy rain and strong winds
Tornado sirens blared in Chicago and many suburbs on Saturday as the entire area was slammed with heavy rains and flash floods. Saturday's storm produced at least one confirmed tornado near Crete, Illinois, south of Chicago.