Powerful storms left damage and flooding in their path in Chicago, some suburbs and Northwest Indiana last night.
The town of Griffith, Indiana was hit by what officials said was “a major wind, hail and rain event.”
Mike Krauser
Power lines were down and trees were damaged or toppled, some damaging homes.
The neighborhood along the north end of Broad Street in Griffith was hardest hit.
Power poles were leaning over the street, lines were down and there was widespread tree damage and debris littered the streets.
Some large trees were uprooted and they fell onto homes and vehicles.
Resident Brian Blank said he had some damage, but not like that of a neighbor’s home.
“This is in pretty tough shape,” he said. “This tree actually broke in half, right over the top of it. There’s a giant crack across the ceiling. That basement’s probably ankle-deep with water.”
The tree punctured one roof and damaged another section.
The siding, as was the case elsewhere, was peppered with debris from trees.
Another resident, Richard Lukowski, also had a tree fall on his garage.
Mike Krauser
He said the storm hit fast, starting with heavy rain and then strong wind.
“We’ve seen a lot of trees that got uprooted,” he said. “That’s insane.”
A few blocks away, a large tree was uprooted and landed on a home.
It had just been sold, according to the previous owner.
He said the hail that came down looked like snow on the lawns and streets.
Power was knocked out to thousands of people.
Traffic lights were out, and police were asking people to avoid the area while the clean-up got underway.
