Thousands still without power in McHenry County as storm cleanup continues Sunday

About one-third of Fox River Grove was without power Sunday afternoon, down from more than half Sunday morning after storms rolled through the McHenry County region Saturday afternoon and evening.

McHenry County Emergency Management Agency Director David Christensen said that as of 8 a.m. Sunday, 56% of Fox River Grove was without power, 25% of Cary was without electricity and 15% of Algonquin was out.

[ Photos: Storms wallop McHenry County Saturday  ]

Those towns were among the hardest-hit areas in the county by the storm.

Tom Dominguez, a ComEd spokesperson, said about 10 a.m. Sunday that more than 5,000 customers in McHenry County were without power. He said about 80% of those currently without power should be back on by 9 p.m. Sunday, and all customers should have power by 2 p.m. Monday.

Just before 4:45 p.m. Sunday, about 4,000 ComEd customers in the county were without power, Dominguez said. In all of ComEd’s territory, about 200,000 customers lost power and 140,000 were back on.

Dominguez said if people find a downed power line, they should assume it’s live and call ComEd at 800-334-7661.

In Cary on Sunday, residents were out cleaning up damage left by the storm. Many trees were damaged or snapped; in some cases, trees blocked roads.

Cary resident Cynthia Angeles said she was heading home from Jewel-Osco when the storm hit.

“I barely made it inside,” Angeles said, adding that a tree fell next to the car not long after.

She said she saw trees bending on the way home, and the rain was “literally horizontal.”

She said her sister-in-law’s garage got hit by a tree. Angeles didn’t have any major damage, but she said she had a lot of debris.

“It’s the worst I’ve seen,” Angeles said of the damage, adding that she has lived in Cary more than 30 years.

Cary resident Laura Sanford said of the storm, “It kind of came out of nowhere.”

Sanford and neighbor Melissa Thurlwell have a little free library that did not appear to sustain any damage from the storm and was open for business Sunday.

Thurlwell said she was in downtown Chicago when the storm hit, and she relied on her neighbors helping her out.

Beth Janczak, another neighbor, said it was cool to see the neighborhood come together, and it made her proud to live in Cary.

“I love this little town,” Janczak said.

Residents Kevin and Melissa Chorzempa had a tree fall on their home during the storm. Kevin Chorzempa said it happened about 4 p.m. Saturday, and by 4:45 p.m. about 25 neighbors, ranging in age from 2 to 80, were helping clean up.

“Talk about small-town community,” Chorzempa said, adding that it was “awesome” to see the neighborhood help.

Elsewhere in Cary, Richard Staehler lost some of the siding on his home, saying he might be the only person who lost siding. He said the storm was “scary” and “intense,” and said hail pounded on the windows.

“I thought the windows were going to break,” Staehler said.

After the storm, he said he couldn’t get out of the driveway before village crews came and moved trees off the street.

He said he filed a claim with his insurance company, and representatives might be coming Monday.

“It’s been a crazy 24 hours,” Staehler said.

Christensen said there were fewer than 10 homes known to have sustained structural damage, but there was heavy hail in the Cary and Crystal Lake areas, and hail damage might not be apparent.

Christensen said there were “a lot of trees down, a lot of wires down.”

The law enforcement training facility in Cary also took on water, he said.

Cary declared a state of emergency Saturday evening after the storm.

Christensen said it wasn’t common for municipalities to do that, but it can depend on their purchasing ordinance and can allow them to get resources faster.

Cary’s declaration said the damage still was posing risks to safety and was “severe enough to require this declaration ... in order to be able to act in a timely fashion to supplement local resources” to prevent any further damage to people and property.

The order is in place for seven days unless extended by the Cary Village Board.

Christensen said the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency has offered its hand to municipalities, and that residents should see public works crews cleaning up roads and utility crews restoring electricity.

The EMA will work with the state to do a self-assessment, Christensen said. He said there will be a call with the state Monday.

People can self-report damage on the EMA website or through the agency’s app, Christensen said.

Cary Fire Protection District personnel handled about 100 storm-related calls, including overnight and morning responses, department spokesperson Alex Vucha said.

Firefighters responded to downed power lines, natural gas equipment damage and “other hazardous conditions,” Vucha said, adding that no weather-related injuries were reported.

“ComEd crews remain out in force working to restore power and rebuild utilities, and Nicor crews have been addressing natural gas emergencies caused by storm damage. Firefighters will continue to support recovery efforts as needed in the days ahead,” Vucha said.

In a news release, Deputy Fire Chief Mark Pelletreau, who oversaw much of the overnight fire responses, said: “Our firefighters handled an extraordinary workload as multiple storms moved through the district. Crews worked tirelessly for several hours, prioritizing emergencies such as downed power lines, natural gas leaks and flooding issues. This was a true team effort, and we were supported by ComEd, Nicor, law enforcement, township crews, public works and our dispatchers who managed an overwhelming call volume. That coordination allowed us to address hazards quickly and keep the community safe during a very challenging night.”

The village of Cary posted on Facebook that solicitors likely offer their services in the aftermath of the storm. However, to do so, they must obtain a permit from the police department. The village’s municipal code requires solicitors to submit a written application and complete a background check before a permit is issued.

When approved, solicitors are given an ID card with their photograph so as to protect residents from scams. If residents have concerns about a solicitor, they are asked to call the police department’s nonemergency number, 847-639-2341.

Also, it is a violation of the village code for solicitors, even those with a permit, to solicit at residences with a “no soliciting” sign posted.

The Cary Farmers Market still took place Sunday morning, market officials said on Facebook.

But Amy Markowski, who was cleaning up storm debris on her property alongside Marc Balko, closed her driving school for the day because of a lack of power. Damage on her property included a tree falling on the roof and a car.

Kevin Birk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the reports the agency got mostly involved tree damage and downed power lines. But the service also got a report of a tree falling on a house near Woodstock and a 63-mph wind gust near Algonquin.

Sunday “should be free of storms,” Birk said, adding that there is a chance of storms Monday into Tuesday in McHenry County.