After a severe storm tore through Lake County the morning of July 11, Jeff Lauer, owner of JML Remodeling Specialist Inc., was busy picking up branches in the front yard of his office in Grayslake.

Though Lauer had anticipated working at a home in the village that morning, widespread power outages forced him to clean up after the storm instead.

"It was pretty crazy to see all the trees down," he said. "It looked like a war zone."

About 700,000 people in the Chicago area lost power Monday morning after a storm swept through the region before 8 a.m., officials said.

Kent McKenzie, emergency management coordinator of Lake County, said the most severe damage occurred locally in a band of villages from Fox Lake to Wauconda in the west, and Zion to North Chicago in the east, though no portion of the county went unscathed.

"At this point, we're still getting reports [of damage]," McKenzie said about 12:15 p.m. Monday. "It certainly appears to be a very serious storm."

The storm forced many businesses in Lake County to close or operate without power.

Downed power lines in Round Lake Beach forced a Wendy's restaurant and Kohl's department store - along with many other businesses on Rollins Road - to post signs announcing they were closed.

Kohl's employees said they weren't sure when the store would reopen.

"They kind of read the sign and leave," said Barbara Hollis, a Kohl's employee. "We've had quite a few people here."

In Grayslake, many of the businesses in the Washington Square shopping center also were closed due to the aftermath of the storm.

Something's Brewing remained open despite having no electricity or WiFi.

"What are my options?" asked a customer, as she walked into the coffee shop.

The business was able to sell baked goods and beverages, but was limited in the use of its walk-in cooler, owner Linda Scholz said.

"It stinks," she said. "What are you going to do? ... I'm just going to try to salvage what we can."

The storm also knocked out traffic signals throughout Lake County, causing traffic delays for hours.

The College of Lake County closed all three of its campuses, canceling all classes and instructing students to check the college's website, www.clcillinois.edu, after 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 12, for status updates.

And at least one gas line was leaking, said McKenzie, after a fallen tree disrupted a line in Beach Park.

McKenzie also said that Commonwealth Edison had reported it may be days before all power was restored in the area.

"We're pretty busy right now," McKenzie said.