Another tornado hits south suburbs. Here’s where to get help.

This story was originally published by Citizen Grit, an independent news outlet covering costs, health, housing and jobs for working people across Cook County.

Note: This is a developing story. We will update this as more information comes in. Check back for more and sign up for updates.

A second round of tornadoes tore through Chicago’s south suburbs Tuesday morning, striking Homewood, Flossmoor, Glenwood and nearby communities roughly two weeks after the area took a direct hit from a tornado and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power and dealing with the aftermath of severe storms.

The National Weather Service tracked a radar-confirmed tornado over Homewood-Flossmoor moving east at 70 mph shortly before 11 a.m. Preliminary Doppler wind readings put the tornado at EF-2 strength or higher, according to CBS News.

This round comes after the July devastation, when EF-1 tornadoes were confirmed by NWS Chicago in Country Club Hills, Glenwood and Lynwood, with impacts across Harvey, Markham, Homewood and Lansing. A separate EF-1 hit Lansing directly. EF-0 tornadoes touched Orland Park and Hazel Crest. At the time, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued a disaster proclamation.

By early Tuesday afternoon, no estimates of the cost of damage to the south suburbs had been released.ComEd reported more than 285,000 customers without power in northern Illinois. Ground stops issued earlier at O’Hare and Midway had expired by midday, but the airports reported that delays continued.

For residents now facing a second round of cleanup — some in homes still recovering from the July 27 storms — the questions are immediate: How do I report storm damage? Who do I call for help? Who pays for it? 

Citizen Grit has some answers for you.

Tree removal 

In general, if a tree — yours or a neighbor’s — falls on your property, it is the homeowner or landlord’s responsibility to clean it up. Call your insurance company immediately. Removal is often covered if fallen trees damage property during a storm.

ComEd is responsible for removing downed trees and branches that cause outages, but customers likely have to dispose the debris.

If trees are blocking public streets and rights-of-way, then village public works crews clear those.

Call:

• Your village or town hall. You likely will ask for or be transferred to the public works or building and grounds departments. Information for the storm-damaged area is below.
• Township general assistance offices (listed below) can sometimes help cover cleanup costs for low-income households.
• Illinois Attorney General Consumer Fraud Hotline: 1-800-386-5438 if you suspect a contractor is scamming you. Illinois law requires a written contract for any repair job over $1,000 and requires contractors to carry insurance.
• FEMA/SBA disaster loans sometimes cover debris removal costs insurance won’t, but only if the event receives a federal disaster declaration. This is not yet the case in these areas. Note that Cook County’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund made $2.5 million available for the July 27 event, but that money reimburses municipalities for response costs. It is not a direct-to-resident payment.

Electric box, meter and panel repair

Owners and landlords must pay for most repairs for the box and panel, according to ComEd. The electric company owns and repairs only the meter itself.

Illinois does not license electricians at the state level. Each village keeps its own list of registered contractors or you can check with a chapter of the Illinois Association of Electrical Contractors to find someone to help you.

It will cost roughly $1,500 to $4,500, depending on what size panel you need and other factors.

Call:

• Illinois Department of Insurance if you believe you need to dispute your insurance company’s decision: 866-445-5364
• ComEd Emergency/Outage Hotline: 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661) for downed lines and outages

Food replacement 

If you have SNAP
An Illinois Department of Human Services policy permits SNAP recipients to request replacement benefits when food is destroyed by a disaster, including a power outage of at least four hours. 

The request must be made within 10 calendar days of discovering the spoiled food. IDHS is required to verify the outage or disaster, so be sure to have proof, such as a utility company report, Red Cross or fire department contact, or news coverage. They can all serve as verification. Replacement benefits should be approved within two days of the signed request.

Call: 

• IDHS Family Community Resource Center — main IDHS line (800) 843-6154

If you don’t have SNAP

• ComEd might help. During outages, ComEd may reimburse residents for food spoilage or damage, but they may not for events deemed “unpreventable,” such as bad weather. The Illinois Commerce Commission in 2019, for example, said certain customers during a June storm that lasted more than four hours could be reimbursed. No such ruling has been released this year. Filing costs nothing, so it may be work a shot.
• Homeowners or renters insurance. Most standard policies include $500–$1,000 in food spoilage coverage; some renters’ policies waive the deductible for this benefit. Coverage typically applies to storm-caused outages.
• Township general assistance and food pantries. None of these require SNAP enrollment. See the list below.
• You can also find food pantries through Greater Chicago Food Depository. 

Homelessness prevention and emergency shelter

Many municipalities will open temporary shelters in extreme cases. You can also contact these offices for more help.

• Suburban Cook County Homeless Prevention Call Center: 1-877-426-6515, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. myentrypoint.org
• South Suburban PADS: 708-332-7700. 950 175th St, Homewood; emergency shelter network, rental assistance
• Together We Cope: 708-633-5040. Serves Harvey, Homewood, Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest, Markham, Oak Forest, Tinley Park and other south suburbs. Food pantry and emergency assistance.
• South Suburban Housing Center (fair housing, landlord-tenant issues): 708-957-4674 ext. 104 for Spanish. 8220 Harwood Ave, Suite 1, Homewood.
• Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-877-863-6338 (877-TO END DV), 24 hours
• Crisis Center for South Suburbia: 708-429-7255

Key contacts for those hit hardest by the storms

Calumet City. General: 708-891-8100. 1200 Pulaski Road, IL 60409 Public Works: 708-891-8161; Commissioner’s office 708-891-8100 ext. 8163

Chicago Heights. General/Clerk’s Office: 708-756-5304; Mayor’s Office 708-756-5315. 1601 Chicago Road, IL 60411 Public Works: no dedicated line found; Water & Water Billing 708-756-5344, Emergency 708-755-3106

Dixmoor. General: 708-385-0319 (alt. 708-389-6121). 170 W. 145th Street, IL 60406 Public Works: routes through general line

Flossmoor. General: 708-798-2300. 2800 Flossmoor Road, IL 60422 Public Works: 708-957-4100

Glenwood. General: 708-753-2400. 1 Asselborn Way, IL 60425 Public Works: routes through general line 708-753-2400; Director direct 708-757-2314; after-hours non-emergency police 708-753-2420

Harvey. General: 708-210-5300. 15320 Broadway Avenue, IL 60426 Public Works (Streets & Sanitation): 708-210-5404; after-hours emergency 708-475-2248

Hazel Crest. General: 708-335-9600. 3000 W. 170th Place, IL 60429 Public Works: 708-335-9600 ext. 200

Homewood. General: 708-798-3000. 2020 Chestnut Road, IL 60430 Public Works: 708-206-3470

Lansing. General: 708-895-7200. 3141 Ridge Road, IL 60438 Public Works: 708-895-7190; after-hours emergency 708-895-7150

Robbins. General: 708-385-8940. 3327 W. 137th Street, IL 60472 Public Works: routes through general line

South Chicago Heights. General: 708-755-1880. 3317 Chicago Road, IL 60412 Public Works: 708-755-7888

Steger.General: 708-754-3395. 35 W. 34th Street, IL 60475 Public Works: 708-755-3888