By Tisha Lewis, FOX 32 News reporter - bio | email
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
Temperatures are finally starting to cool but residents are still facing challenges after one of the most brutal heat waves in Chicago history.
"Yesterday at 6:00 the transformers caught on fire. The fire department came running and now all I'm thinking about his my business. I have a wholesale business and I have eight trucks out there and I don't know what to do," said Damato.
Three days of record-breaking heat sparked a power outage and Damato is just one of nearly 5,000 customers who remained with out power even after the heat wave was gone.
"My wife has been calling Com Ed every hour. I don't think she ever got to talk to anyone. The automated system just keep telling you a time. First they said 3am, 5am, then 8:00am, 10:00am, now it's supposed to be 5:00pm, right about now," said Damato.
Representatives from Commonwealth Edison addressed the outages earlier in the day.
"We have crews working on all those outages as we speak right now. We'll get them on here through the day," said Fidel Marquez, Senior Vice President of External Governmental Affairs at ComEd.
At the peak of the scorching temperatures, ComEd says there were 50,000 heat related power outages. That was on the heels of 321,000 storm related power outages.
Saturday's cool-down came as a relief to those still without power and others enjoying a breeze at the Lakefront who describe this week's weather as...
"Torture, a little bit of torture but this feels great right now because it has a little bit of a breeze and it's not high humidity or anything like that. Today feels good, not like the last couple of days," said Tiffini Gurganus.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 2:03 PM EDT2013-05-22 18:03:42 GMT
Protesters of Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's plan to close dozens of city schools have been removed from a school board meeting in Chicago and from the State Capitol in Springfield.
Protesters of Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's plan to close dozens of city schools have been removed from a school board meeting in Chicago and from the State Capitol in Springfield.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:14 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:14:22 GMT
A 19-year-old former student at Glenbard East High School in Lombard has been charged with planning to commit an act of violence at the school, DuPage County prosecutors announced Wednesday.
A 19-year-old former student at Glenbard East High School in Lombard has been charged with planning to commit an act of violence at the school, DuPage County prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:10 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:10:07 GMT
Though at least five ambulances and Fire Department personnel were dispatched to Midway Airport when a 737 reported a cracked windshield, the plane landed safely Wednesday morning.
Though at least five ambulances and Fire Department personnel were dispatched to Midway Airport when a 737 reported a cracked windshield, the plane landed safely Wednesday morning.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 11:13 AM EDT2013-05-22 15:13:43 GMT
An attorney for an 87-year-old grandmother who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a condo deal has told jurors the "Apprentice" star lied on the witness stand.
An attorney for an 87-year-old grandmother who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a condo deal has told jurors the "Apprentice" star lied on the witness stand.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 9:54 AM EDT2013-05-22 13:54:21 GMT
A one-of-a-kind Chicago Public School is doing very well amid the controversy surrounding CPS closures, and the final Chicago Board of Education vote on the plan scheduled for Wednesday.
A one-of-a-kind Chicago Public School is doing very well amid the controversy surrounding CPS closures, and the final Chicago Board of Education vote on the plan scheduled for Wednesday.
