WICKER PARK — Across Wicker Park and Bucktown, wind from Sunday night's violent thunderstorm caused light poles and trees to fall and a portion of Holstein Park's roof to rip off, prompting the popular pool to temporarily close.
Around 9 a.m. Monday, a worker at Holstein Park, 2200 N. Oakley Ave., said that there was so much debris in the pool area, it would be a safety hazard to keep it open.
"Three large sections of glass panel windows, about 10-feet-long pieces each and parts of the roof fell off," the worker said.
Around 8 a.m. Monday, Janene Ingram's dog, Kansas, was sniffing at the base of a cracked light pole in the 1500 block of North Oakley avenue.
"We realized it was rusty but didn't realize it would fall over," Ingram said of the massive pole.
Ingram was not home when the light pole fell over around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, crashing into a parked car. But her neighbor, Melissa Ramirez, called 911 to report the falling pole.
"It sounded like lightning but was more of a cracking sound. We heard a snap and ran to the window. Then a second light pole fell 20 minutes later," said Ramirez, referring to a smaller pole about 20 feet south of the downed pole.
A lantern from that pole was dangling inches over a parked car, but did not crash into it.
A light pole cracked and fell in the 1500 block of North Oakley Avenue around 6:30 p.m. Sunday. (Matt Herbert)
By 10 p.m., Chicago Fire Department workers were on the scene, Ramirez said.
Geoff Pedrick was home when the light pole fell onto his 2013 Suburu Impreza, but said he did not witness it.
"I looked out the window and felt a little bit of a panic when I realized it was my car," said Pedrick.
Pedrick said he felt especially thankful that the pole crashed into his car's back hatchback window and not onto the center of the top of the car, or else it would have crushed it.
"I realized it was not too bad," he said.
On Winchester Avenue, between Cortland Street and North Avenue, several trees branches had fallen onto the ground, according to resident JoAnna Siciliano, who noticed the damage while walking her dog early Monday.
"There was a car whose windshield was smashed by a tree and the car in front's bumper was smashed," Sicilano said.
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) was active on a Bucktown Neighborhood Watch Facebook page late Sunday. Waguespack was encouraging residents to call 311 to report trees that had fallen.
"ComEd had their own trucks and private ones removing trees from power lines, and I added a few dozen to the list of what the night crews said was a few hundred lines, limbs or trees down citywide. Please call all of them in to 311 in case they were missed," Waguespack posted.
Several Wicker Park residents, in the 1200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, reported power outages and were appreciative when the power got restored.
"ComEd kicked butt and worked all night behind the store and just got power back!!" said Adam Rosen, owner of Shuga Records.
Elsewhere in the city, Naomi Schmahl was dropping off her son at camp in Logan Square early Monday when she noticed a massive parkway tree that had uprooted and landed into a yard near Talman Avenue and Logan Boulevard.
An uprooted tree at Talman Avenue and Logan Boulevard in Logan Square. [Naomi Schmahl]
A cracked light pole just south of Oakley, North avenues. [Courtesy of Janene Ingram]
A view of two damaged light poles, just south of Oakley, North avenues. [Courtesy of Janene Ingram]
Portions of Holstein Park's roof. [Courtesy of Sean Finnegan]
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