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Thousands Without Power Following Massive Midwest Storm
posted 06/20/09 4:58 pm
ABC 7 News - Thousands Without Power Following Massive Midwest Storm
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A massive storm slammed into Iowa and Illinois, leaving behind major damage - and it's not over yet. The Northeast continues to be pounded by heavy rain.

Flood watches and warnings extend across the Northeast, as a severe weather system dumps inches of rain, even hail in some places.

The powerful storms have already toppled trees onto cars and ripped down power lines in parts of the Midwest.

"The hail was coming down in sheets; you couldn't even see anything visible. Then I heard the cracking and all the trees came down," said Rich Miceli, a Chicago resident.

Flash floods also caused havoc in Wisconsin, as tens of thousands of homes in the region are still without power.

ComEd spokesman Peter Pedraza said 67,000 customers still had no power early Saturday as a result of the severe weather that struck on Friday. Consumers Energy in Michigan said about 33,600 of its customers statewide had no power Saturday and Duke Energy in Indiana reported about 13,000 customers blacked out. Indianapolis Power and Light reported nearly 8,000 outages. Iowa and Wisconsin also had scattered outages.

In southern Illinois, a washout may have caused a train to derail and explode. One woman who was in a car waiting for the train to pass, died when the tank cars loaded with thousands of gallons of ethanol caught fire. Three other people were severely burnt.

The National Weather Service (web | news) said parts of northern Illinois may have gotten up to 4 inches of rain Friday and Racine, Wis., had a 24-hour total of nearly 7 inches.

Back on the East Coast, rain returned Saturday to the U.S. Open at the still soggy Bethpage Black golf course on Long Island. Pools of water soured play for many golf pros, even for the world's reigning champion.

"Two bad shots and a mud ball later .. here we go...you know I'm at four- over-par," Tiger Woods said.

Meanwhile, parts of the south could use some rain. In Raleigh, North Carolina, volunteers with the 'Meals on Wheels' program, which helps the elderly by providing door-to-door meal service, are coping with an extreme heat wave by delivering more than just food.

"If they don't have a fan, we can provide them with a fan it's important that because some of them are homebound," said Elizabeth Werner, Meals on Wheels volunteer.

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