Our house is also at 86 degrees, very unbearable. However we keep looking at the positive that we still have a house with no damage and we would rather wait the few days rather then have to wait weeks even months to repair damages! Mother nature got the best of us this time. It could be worse. I hope everyone can find a way to stay comfortable, cool, safe and find some relief.

The city should fine home owners who do not maintain their trees by removing branches and trees that can potentially cause problems. Didn't Com Ed promise to do tree trimming in areas where branches/trees were near power lines???? I believe this promise was made after last summers' power outage. I have lived in Elmhurst for just over a year and this is the 3rd time I am throwing out the food in the fridge. Maybe I should not have left Chicago.......

maybe im wrong but i lived in elmhurst since 1993 and i don't remember power outages being this bad. ever since last spring i feel we lose power for an extended period of time every time... did ComEd stop trimming trees and this is the result?

I cannot understand the people who blame ComEd for an act of nature. They have crews working around the clock but there is a limit to how quickly things get fixed. I think this is just another example of the "me, me, me" mentality that has developed in our society.

Is it just me or do people not have signals on their phones either? My AT&T phone doesn't work in Elmhurst, hasn't been since Sunday, signal picks up at Berkeley on my way to downtown Chicago.

FYI for anyone who cares - I just called AT&T, there a tower near Elmhurst that is down because of thunderstorms and the crew is working on it. The expected resolution date is today afternoon, so hopefully it should be back up. Meanwhile, you could call AT&T and have your phone# routed to another working tower in the area.

You do realize that those are real ppl out there working 16hr days in the +100* heat to try and help you as fast as they can?

I was just in Michigan and they sent their extra crews to the East Coast leaving none to head here to Chicago. My neighbor working for Com Ed has had little sleep and the heat is impacting the work a lot. They truly are working as hard and as fast as they can. It is awful, but as said above, nature demands our attention and patience sometimes. Some packed up and headed north to escape the heat. I'm thinking that is a great idea!

Does anybody know why a helicopter keeps hovering over the prairie path at Vallette east of York road? Does it have something to do with the electricity being out?

While driving through Villa Park today, I saw a "Village of Downers Grove" truck with a chipper on it working along Vermont just west of Addison road. Sounds like somebody had a plan for help.

I jog two and a half miles around N. Elmhurst. I saw no crews. I am not saying that they aren't in Elmhurst. I'm just saying I didn't see any over that distance. I am generally pleased with ComEd. In Connecticut it seemed like if it rained we lost electricity for a week! One other thing. The alternatives to ComEd in my opinion are not good. This is not a plug for these guys. But I've lived in many states and cities and the service is hard to complain about. Still, I saw no one.

Trimming trees may have helped but this storm caused trees, yes whole trees trunks roots and all to fall. I think the problem is the age of the trees and of course the severity of the storm, the trees can not take that kind of power.

http://m.apnews.mobi/ap/db_6776/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=jlceDIIC

Above: a good read.

Another good read!
http://m.apnews.mobi/ap/db_6776/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=EAc3H76S

I have been around Elmhurst picking up, relocating flags, working and sweating and I don't know why you don't see DiCianni. A tad remarkable. Was he at the joint review board meeting on the new, massive TIF #4 that seems to have been rolled out when many are on vacation or preparing for one? I haven't seen him in the news either, but that may be the result of not having enough power. Where is the Mayor? Can anyone report on what he has been doing to be proactive?

he already held a press conference telling us he would resign as mayor if he was elected to the county board, mark...he's bulldozing that tif district through so i wouldn't expect him to want to listen to the rationale of the park district or the school board as to why perhaps things need to slow down to really assess the economic impact on the tax payers of this move by the city, since property values continue to decline...which is exactly the reason why you don't look at doing a tif at this time...however...if he doesn't...there won't be $$$ for the abbott group (the developer for the mariano's property)...they are the ones asking for the $1.25 million... .

Darlene, I actually wasn't suggesting anything related to the County Board race. I have my beliefs there but I really wanted to know who was steering things. There is an emergency we are getting through and I wonder where Pete is. His predecessor would have been more apparent around town, particularly with the library down and a college and businesses unable to open. Soo... the inquiries are sincere.

i didn't doubt that your inquiries were legit...you are right about the last mayor...i watched him move into city hall for 4 days after we had a severe outage a few years back (i live right behind city hall - he literally lived there for 4 days)...making sure he was updated and went out with the city crews, the police, the fire. also kept in touch with comed. sorry if it appeared as if i didn't take you seriously, i did, but since there is no rhyme or reason to why, i just tried to help in my own way... .

3rd Ward Aldermen Bram & Polomsky are reporting that ComEd said 85% complete as of this morning - 2,518 customers still without power.

just received call from emperor dicianni and he suggested the police dept as cooling center. brilliant idea; why not elmhurst hospital ; at least there is room for families to relax

I have to commend the last pair of ComEd reps I spoke to (one being a supervisor) who listened carefully, took notes, called dispatch, and (drum roll) admitted that ComEd hadn't been consistent in its explanations of the problem in my mom's area. We heard everything from "Crews are too busy to update the system" to "it's a downed limb on a wire--we're responsible for removing the branch" to "the limb's not our problem, and the branch on the wire isn't the problem either--it's the power grid." What I respected so much about the reps I dealt with late today was not that they could magically restore power. It was that--unlike so many ComEd workers I had dealt with--they didn't just give the patronizing, "It's tough all around--we're out working 24/7." Believe me, I totally commend the kind of dedication it takes to work with live wires in 100-degree heat on a holiday, and I am grateful. But I would also hope that maybe ComEd would simplify its workers' lives--as well as residents'--by taking the time to organize and communicate consistently, both internally and with customers (even in the context of a big, messy storm). At the end of the day, it was determined that the problem in this case likely could have been resolved much sooner, even considering the scope of outages. Kudos to workers who went the extra mile--even in the holiday heat. I am tremendously grateful. I simply wish that--based on my limited experiences--they were representative of more of the company.

I also must say that I have to commend how several of my mom's neighbors (in north Elmhurst) came together to help each other after the storm. Moving branches, keeping each other posted about ComEd visits/updates--really refreshing. After being inexcusably jerked around by ComEd about whether or not they could/should/wanted to remove my 70-year-old mom's downed limb (which snapped in spite of the fact that she pays to have her trees regularly trimmed), her neighbors showed up in her yard, sawed it apart, and hauled it out front. Amazing people who came together (in spite of their own outages/chaos at home) to help out a senior Elmhurst resident.

Jim, I wish more people were aware of some of the points you make--regarding removal of limbs on private property, etc. That way, it would be easier to call ComEd on some of its claims/promises, etc. when they insist they are going to take care of removal (which they acknowledge they did in my mom's case). Easier said than done I supposed, but it would be great to have a little bullet-point cheat sheet on the Web or in the newsletter from the city detailing what ComEd's basic policies/responsibilities are. It might cut down on confusion when we do have a massive outage, not to mention encourage people to do more regular trimming.

Joe, you said it! I can't adequately express how great it is to know that she's surrounded by people who watch out for her/lend a hand.

i saw 3 comed trucks late this afternoon, around 5 pm on york road, and also saw 2 tree removal service trucks (private companies) on sidestreets getting rid of debris. also saw comcast truck this morning. these are first trucks i've seen. i hope that power is restored to those that have been waiting, but the outpouring of support from neighbors is really what makes a difference.

We counted over 40 trucks while we sat along 83 to watch fire works. No mater what one thinks about the company it would be nice if there was some way to thank the workers who have been out in the heat for the last few days. The hundreds of trucks and workers involved in restoring the power would make for a parade that is worth attending.

There is a gray area here. Yes, there were some awesome workers out, and they deserve our thanks. I couldn't do that job! I did thank and commend many of them, via phone and in-person in front of my home. But that should be a universal standard--for CEOs and field crews alike. If someone was a patient in a hospital, it wouldn't be acceptable if half the nurses and doctors were skilled and compassionate and communicative and the other half dropped the scalpel or couldn't empty a bed pan. I blame some of the CEOs, and I blame some of the crew who blatantly miscommunicated. If you don't know or aren't sure, just say so! Don't say, "Here's what the issue is--no, it's not--yes, it is---we don't know because we don't have time to enter notes in the system." The workers who did their job were/are life-savers, no doubt about it. And that goes for certain cust. service reps, too. But that shouldn't be 20 percent of the company. It is a difficult, dangerous job, but it is just that--a job. Not volunteer work. No one should blame them because they couldn't be everywhere at once or because they couldn't restore power to everyone within seconds. What they should be blamed for--and the supervisor I spoke to acknowledged this--is not communicating/operating in a clear, consistent manner (both internally and with customers). They're not all demons, and they're not all saints. ComEd has some great workers, but they could stand to do a helluva lot better (overall), too.

One final thought--and normally, I don't rant this much, lol, but I guess my brain is frying with the heat ;-) As I noted, my mom pays to have her trees trimmed. Yet I also know families (seniors especially) who would like to do the same but who can't afford it. I have even tried calling the number the city lists for senior assistance. I have never gotten a call back. Tree trimming is important, and I know (no thanks to Com Ed's info.) that it is not necessarily the electric company's problem. That said, however, I think it's easy to forget how hard it is for anyone on a limited income to tackle some of these responsibilities. I won't start sermonizing about how taxes make Elmhurst (though an awesome town) cost-prohibitive. I grasp that we (hypothetically) get what we pay for, and my kids have benefited time and again from the excellence of 205, the great parks, etc. BUT I would love it if, as Jim and others have suggested, a) there's more organized effort to be proactive about tackling issues (including electric, crime, etc.) on a preventative basis and b) if such efforts would include realistic measures for those residents who aren't of unlimited means. Perhaps that's a bit idealistic. Sadly, however, I know more than a few people who live here and are working their damnedest to stay here, but who have to prioritize between even the day-to-day expenses and who therefore would struggle to pay for some of the property work that others wouldn't think twice about doing.