Herald News from Joliet, Illinois • Page 7

ComEd estimates most power to be restored by morning ill Br If bhT IfiBH Lathan Goumas lgoumasshawmedia.com Dennis Siebersma stands Tuesday in his recreational vehicle as he talks to his insurance company about damage caused by Monday night's tornado in Coal City. TORNADO Continued from page 6 men were trying to slice down a tree with a fence stuck to it. In a backyard near where Harrington was working, a group of people were picking up debris with their bare hands. Harrington said his home wasn't affected as badly as other neighbors. With the police managing traffic, he said it's been tough for him and others trying to get in and out of town.

"I realize they're trying to keep out lookers, but they're making it hard on people trying to help," Harrington said. 'People are suffering' The storm left thousands of Northern Illinois residents without power. Coal City, Sterling and Sublette were the hardest hit areas when it came to power outages. As of Tuesday afternoon, about 55,000 residential and commercial customers had lost power, according to ComEd. Of those, 31,000 had been restored.

Based on past storms of a similar magnitude, ComEd officials are estimating that most remaining customers will have service restored by late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, with some exceptions in the hardest hit areas. Ed Johnson, who lives on West Willow Street, said debris made roads in neighborhoods hazardous for cars, with one truck passing through Willow Street with a flat tire. Johnson said unlike the storm two years ago, this storm blanketed Coal City. His wife, Diana, said the lightning was like a strobe light. "There's nothing you can do with Mother Nature but hold on and hope you survive," he said.

As the storms hit Monday night, Coal City resident Nicole Patterson hid in her closet with her family. Afterward, she helped friends and family. "I can't believe it. I just know people are suffering. I got my door open.

I got power," she said. Patterson was outside her mother-in-law, Jane Patterson's, home Tuesday, sweeping up debris with her sons. Across the yard was a trampoline that had flown from one home to the next across the street. Trees in just a wonderful thing it did bring us all together and we'll get through with it," she said. Her grandson, Connor Patterson, said even in a small the backyard of a neighbor's house had fallen.

Jane Patterson said a storm like this "brings neighborhoods together." A truck driv er passed by handing out water bottles to her family. "We work together and help each other, met a lot of neighbors I never met before, so it's town, tragedy can happen. "Our neighborhood is one strong log that can't be broken," he said, clasping his hands together in a tight fist. Volunteers asked to wait until Friday to help Coal City Howto help Nonperishable donations are being collected at We Care of Grundy County, 530 Bedford Road, Morris. Clothing, cleaning supplies and contractor-grade garbage bags are requested.

Cash donations are being taken through a disaster fund created by the Community Foundation of Grundy County by visiting www.cfgrun-dycounty.comdonate-online, sending checks payable to "CF of Grundy County" with "Disaster Fund" in the memo line, mailed or dropped off to 102 Liberty Morris, IL 60450. As of Tuesday afternoon, $5,000 already had been collected, according to the foundation's Facebook page. The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce, 909 N. Liberty Morris, is accepting any items found blown into yards, especially photos and important papers, that may belong to residents affected by the tornado in the Coal City area. heading volunteer organization.

The Grundy County Health Department has requested volunteers to fill out a volunteer application form and background check form in advance to help organize volunteers, said Karen Nail, United Way of Grundy County executive director and member of COAD. But volunteers who just show up Friday will not be turned away, Fritz said. The forms can be accessed online on the Grundy County COAD Facebook page, at www. or at the Morris Area Public Library, 604 Liberty Morris. By CHRISTINA CHAPMAN-VAN YPEREN cchapmanshawmedia.com COAL CITY Residents of Coal City have begun trying to recover from tornado damage that occurred Monday night but volunteers are asked not to come to help until Friday morning.

City officials are asking volunteers who want to help to come to Diamond Banquet Hall, 55 S. Daly Diamond at 9 a.m. Friday wearing boots and their own gloves, and be ready to work, Coal City Administrator Matt Fritz said Tuesday. A high-end EF3 tornado hit Coal City Monday night, injuring five, causing dam- age and, in some cases, destroying people's homes. The Grundy County Community Organizations Active in Disaster group, which was formed after the 2013 Diamond tornado and Morris flooding, is spear.