Tempers boil as 100,000-plus are still without power after storm
BY MITCH DUDEK AND KIM JANSSEN Staff Reporters July 13, 2011 4:08PM
ComEd crew lineman Brook Bott works high on a electric pole to restore power in Hillside on July 13, 2011. l Keith Hale~Sun-Times
Updated: July 14, 2011 2:11AM
Patience is wearing thin for some as ComEd works to repair electricity to the last of 870,000 customers who lost power after Monday’s storm.
The utility company had restored power to 750,000 as of Wednesday afternoon and projected 90 percent restoration by midnight tonight and 99 percent by midnight Friday — with outages centered around north suburban Gurnee and Waukegan, according to ComEd spokesman Fidel Marquez.
Service in Chicago should be completely restored by this evening. But a few unlucky customers won’t have power till Saturday.
Priority has been given to fixing lines that restore power to thousands before getting ones that affect only a handful of people.
But the utilitarian approach isn’t soothing for those last in line. As food spoils, armpits sweat and daytime television goes unwatched — emotions occasionally boil over.
“A little old lady surprised us,” said ComEd worker Walter Moore, as he repaired a downed line in Hillside Wednesday afternoon. “She lit right into us and was adamant about getting her lights and freezer and soap operas back. ... I calmed her down, but we get a lot of irate customers who just want to vent,” said Moore.
ComEd crews often substitute as customer service reps as the company’s automated help line leaves some yearning for human empathy.
ComEd supervisor Mike Reyes hadn’t encountered any furious customers as of Wednesday afternoon, but he suspects his luck is running out. “It’s getting to that point for some people here on the third day without electricity,” he said.
One main source of frustration: “looking at your neighbor’s home lit up with electricity while yours is dark,” said ComEd supervisor Jeff Sword, who noted that technical explanations to customers about the flow of electricity aren’t always calming in such instances.
Thankfully, hundreds who still have power have been running extension cords to the homes of their less fortunate neighbors.
The ultra prepared have generators, but they have been causing another headache: noise.
Residents in at least three suburbs complained to police about late-night noise from generators. But police in Palatine, Lake Bluff and Crystal Lake have not been strictly enforcing noise nuisance ordinances.
Crystal Lake Police Chief David Linder was one of many officials urging residents to be reasonable and patient. “There are plenty of people who need to keep medication refrigerated, and we’re not about to start going house-to-house asking if people have a medical condition,” he said.
One source of common relief has been the sight of ComEd trucks in the neighborhood.
“It felt good to see those guys this morning,” said Bob Baur, of Hillside, who’s been tapping a neighbor’s electricity to power his freezer, a lamp and several fans since a tree fell a power line behind his home.
“Most of the time people are nice to us. We get hugs, water, lemonade, pop — but that’s all we accept,” said Moore.
ComEd work crews have been working 16 hours on 8 hours off – a taxing job, especially for the worker atop a wooden pole day and night.
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