ORLAND PARK, Ill. — Thousands of households across Orland Park spent the day without electricity after a powerful storm tore through the village, knocking out power to more than 7,000 ComEd customers and leaving crews racing against the clock to restore service.
Village officials confirmed they are working directly with ComEd as restoration efforts continue around the clock. Public Works teams have fanned out across the community, clearing fallen branches, unclogging storm drains, and reopening roads blocked by debris. Crews are expected to keep working into the evening hours over the coming days as cleanup continues.
Adding to the chaos, several intersections are now without working traffic signals. Officials are urging drivers to treat any dark signal as a four-way stop, slow down, and give repair crews room to work safely.
The disruption isn’t stopping storm cleanup, either. A village-wide brush collection effort is set to begin Wednesday, July 29, and run through August 5. Residents are being told to stack debris at the curb with cut ends facing the street, keep piles tidy, and avoid blocking sidewalks, hydrants, mailboxes, or parked cars. Normal yard waste pickup will continue on schedule.
What has residents most on edge, however, is a fresh warning from officials: more severe weather could hit later today, potentially setting back restoration efforts even further.
For those without air conditioning — or anyone needing to charge a phone, power medical equipment, or simply escape the heat — the village has opened a cooling center at the Orland Park Police Department, located at 15100 S. Ravinia Ave.
Authorities are also renewing safety warnings: stay far away from any downed power lines, run generators outdoors only, and keep an eye on ComEd’s outage map and the village’s alert system for the latest updates as the situation develops.