[Update: ComEd reports Homewood and Flossmoor power outages were resolved by early afternooon. Metra Electric Line service will remain suspended Thursday. Officials hope to resume by morning rush Friday.]
In addition to dealing with extreme cold temperatures Wednesday morning, a number of local residents were without power, and Metra announced that Electric Line traffic would be suspended until further notice.
bitter cold Wednesday
morning near the corner
of Park Avene and Cedar
Road in Homewood. Power
was out to several hundred
Homewood and Flossmoor
residents. (Provided photo
by Bryan Cach)
Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Executive Director Debbie Kopas announced on Facebook that Irwin Community Center, 18120 Highland Ave. in Homewood, would be open as a warming center during the power outage.
According to residents’ reports on Facebook, power went out about 4 a.m. Shortly after 9 a.m. some residents were reporting that temperatures in their homes were down to the mid-50s.
Shortly before 9:30 a.m. ComEd was reporting several areas still without power. In Homewood, outages include one on Chestnut Road in Homewood west of Dixie Highway affecting 47 customers, one in the area of Olive Road and Gottschalk Avenue affecting 385 customers, and one on Howe Avenue northeast of Ravisloe Country Club affecting 225 customers.
In Flossmoor, outages included one in the area of Hutchison Road and Collett Lane affecting 208 customers, one in the area of Gardner Lane between Marston and MacDonald lanes affecting 204 customers and one on Brumley Drive near Argyle and Perth avenues affecting 171 customers.
ComEd estimated power would be restored in each case by 10:15 a.m.
Prior to the Metra shutdown, announced shortly after 7 a.m., a number of trains were running behind schedule because of wire problems blamed on the cold weather. South Shore traffic was shut down for the day shortly after 5 a.m.