ComEd Continues Power Restoration Following Two Powerful Storms

Crews focus on remaining outages as weather clears across northern Illinois

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ComEd crews continue restoring power to customers impacted by multiple rounds of severe storms that moved through northern Illinois beginning Wednesday afternoon. With the most volatile weather now past the region, crews are focused on completing repairs and restoring service to remaining pockets of customers affected by storm damage.

Multiple bands of severe weather brought intense rain, frequent lightning and high wind gusts, causing significant damage to ComEd’s power infrastructure and resulting in widespread outages across the service territory. At least two tornadoes were confirmed on Thursday, including one in Streator, Illinois, and another near Dwight, Illinois, with additional damage assessments ongoing.

Across the two days of severe weather, approximately 684,000 ComEd customers experienced outages. As of 6pm June 12, ComEd has restored power to roughly 582,000 customers, representing significant progress following both storm systems.

“Our crews have been working long hours under challenging conditions to safely restore power as quickly as possible,” said David Perez, executive vice president and COO of ComEd. “While we’re encouraged by the progress being made and the improving weather outlook, we will continue our work until every customer is restored.”

The most severe impacts from Wednesday evening’s storms were felt on Chicago’s South Side, in Joliet and in the communities of Crestwood, Lockport and Alsip. Of the approximately 548,200 customers impacted Wednesday, about 71,000 remain without power, meaning more than 87 percent have been restored.

A second round of storms moved through the region Thursday afternoon and evening, causing outages for roughly 136,600 customers, primarily on Chicago’s South Side and in Oak Lawn, Joliet, Markham, Bridgeview, Justice and Streator. Approximately 26,000 customers remain without power from Thursday’s storms, reflecting a restoration rate of about 81 percent.

The storms caused extensive tree damage and downed power lines, with one tornado touching down in Streator, approximately 100 miles southwest of Chicago, damaging homes and other structures. Another tornado was identified near Dwight, about 80 miles southwest of Chicago.

More than 200 ComEd crews and over 3,000 personnel were mobilized during the peak of the response, supported by additional mutual assistance crews arriving Friday. Prior to storms hitting the area, ComEd strategically positioned crews and equipment across the service territory to enable faster response once outages occurred.

To support restoration efforts, ComEd established base camps at Joliet Junior College, Daley College in Chicago and Cherry Valley Mall in Rockford, among other sites. ComEd also activated its Mobile Command Center to enhance coordination across impacted areas. In addition, four ComEd Care Vans were deployed to Worth, Alsip, Palos Hills and Joliet to provide resources to customers.

Public safety is paramount, and ComEd encourages customers to take the following precautions:

• If a downed power line is spotted, please immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661). Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).
• Never approach a downed power line. Always assume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.
• In the event of an outage, do not approach ComEd crews working to restore power to ask about restoration times. Crews may be working on live electrical equipment, and the perimeter of the work zone may be hazardous.

ComEd urges customers to contact the company immediately if they experience a power outage. Customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED) to report an outage and receive restoration information and can follow the company on X @ComEd or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComEd. Customers can also call 1-800 EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661), or report outages via the website at ComEd.com/report. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).

With ComEd’s new Outage Tracker, customers can report outages, check estimated time of restoration, view crew status updates, and explore our outage map. Visit ComEd.com/OutageTracker.

ComEd’s mobile app for iPhone and Android® smart phones gives customers the ability to report power outages and manage their accounts; download the app at ComEd.com/app.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 company and one of the nation’s largest utility companies, serving nearly 11 million electricity and natural gas customers. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information, visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.