350,000 remain without power after storm

Dan Meyer of Wilmette Illinois chops up the trees that block his driveway after taking a day off to get his home back in order after yesterday's storm. | Al Podgorski~Chicago Sun-Times

About 350,000 people remain without power Tuesday morning following Monday’s “derecho” -- a short, violent windstorm that pounded the Chicago area with hurricane-force winds.

Power outages are maddening, but little can be done to stop them

‘People can’t live like this,” said a reader sitting in the dark in Park Ridge. “I’ve [had my power] down five times in a year, I’ve wasted I don’t know how many hundreds of dollars of food. We’re down again today from a little wind and rain that lasted a total of six minutes. Their service is horrendous. They will not give you an answer. It’s outrageous what we go through. Last time I was down three days, now I may be down three or four days. It’s not the Middle Ages. Maybe you can do something.”

Chicago in the dark! - massive storms cause massive blackout!

(CNN) -- About 390,000 customers in the greater Chicago area were without power early Tuesday morning following massive storms that moved through the area a day earlier.

Full restoration could take several days, said Judy Rader, a spokeswoman with the ComEd utility company.