Wind Rips Roof Off Pilsen High School, Starts Fire, Prompts Wind Jokes
By Mae Rice in News on Mar 7, 2017 4:40PM
Early this morning, the Chicago area saw some epic storm weather that ripped the roof off a Pilsen school and left thousands without power. The National Weather Service warned of intense weather in Chicago around 1:30 a.m. (when La Salle County had already seen 50+ m.p.h. winds):
Leading edge of storms will move into downtown Chicago at 1:35 am. These brought a 50 mph gust here in Romeoville. Isolated higher possible.
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) March 7, 2017
The NWS wasn't kidding. The storm ripped part of the roof off Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen. The damage has left the school's annex "unusuable," the Sun-Times reports. This is just the latest of the annex's structural issues, though: remodeled in 2010, the roof has been dropping hunks of metal for months.
Steve Vidal, who teaches at Juarez according to the Sun-Times, posted photos of the scene to Facebook, calling out the contractors who remodeled the annex in 2010 for "bad workmanship."
Meanwhile, out in Oak Lawn, high winds knocked down a light pole and assorted power lines, sparking a fire at a local pizza place, Grassano's. Fire officials worked with ComEd to get the blaze extinguished with minimal damage, Patch reports.
On Twitter, meanwhile, people had some fire takes on the high winds:
feeling like trump's hair with this chicago wind damn
— marissa (@vvarissa) March 6, 2017
When you think your neighbors are having wild sex but it's just the Chicago wind shaking your dorm 🌬🏢
— Emily Costello (@EmilyCostello13) March 7, 2017
Coincidentally, this week is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Illinois. Looks like we need it!