Daijiworld Media Network - Chicago
Chicago, Aug 12: One person was killed in what is suspected to be a house explosion as severe storms swept through the US Midwest on Tuesday, leaving widespread damage and more than half a million people without power across the Chicago area and northwestern Indiana.
The person died in Portage, Indiana, around 30 miles from Chicago. Firefighters were unable to reach the location immediately because of the extensive damage and debris left behind by the storm, NBC reported, citing police officials.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although officials suspect the severe weather may have played a role.
Police Capt Rob Maynard said the storms were among the most severe weather events he had witnessed in his 50 years of life.
“Probably the most severe weather event that any of us here can remember,” Maynard said during a press conference.
Fire Chief Chris Crail said emergency crews were responding as conditions rapidly deteriorated.
“When this call came in, everything was breaking free,” Crail said, according to NBC.
The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes in Illinois, one in southern Cook County and another in eastern Will County. Damage from both storms was consistent with that associated with EF-1 tornadoes, the NWS said.
More than 500,000 people in the Chicago area and northwestern Indiana were left without power as thunderstorms and extreme winds caused widespread damage, according to the Associated Press.
Forecasters recorded a wind gust of 99 mph (159 kph) in Gary, Indiana, while other locations reported winds of 80 mph (128 kph) or higher.
According to preliminary information from the NWS Storm Prediction Center, the powerful weather system that moved through Iowa before reaching Indiana over several hours qualified as a “derecho”.
Derechos are prolonged episodes of straight-line winds accompanied by heavy rainfall that can travel over long distances. The resulting destruction can sometimes resemble damage caused by tornadoes or hurricanes.
The scale of the destruction was evident in several communities around Chicago.
“Total devastation. No roof,” Kerry Hourigan told the Associated Press while standing outside her home of 25 years in Tinley Park, a Chicago suburb.
“Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared,” she said.
Meteorologist Scott Baker said the Midwest was on the outer edge of a “ring of fire” that brought waves of excessive moisture, atmospheric instability and severe storms, according to AP.
The storms also caused major disruption to air travel. As of 4:15 pm New York time on August 11, more than 200 flights arriving at or departing from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had been cancelled, while more than 1,000 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.
More than 140 flights at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport were also cancelled.