10 hours ago
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At least three tornadoes touched down in communities outside Chicago, leveling homes and ripping down trees and power poles, while storms grounded flights and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands across the Midwest and Northeast.
As the large funnel cloud swept through Merrillville, a town about 33 miles (53 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, the city’s police department warned residents to “TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.” Meanwhile, the nearby manufacturing and farm city of Streator set up a family reunification center for displaced residents in its city hall as officials took stock of the major damage.
Tornado warnings were also in place in Chicago and in parts of Indiana and Michigan, according to the National Weather Service.
Severe storms had swept through the Midwest Wednesday, knocking out power, damaging buildings and canceling flights.
In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless encampment in a park Wednesday after being hit by a tree that “broke apart and fell during strong storms,” police said in a statement. The man was found critically injured Thursday morning and died at the scene, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries from the storms.
Strong storms delayed or halted flights at airports in some cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York on Thursday. Parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic also strained under high heat and humidity.
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