Director of Public Works: Morton Grove Pumping Stations Without Power, Live Wires, and Big Clean-Up

Clean-up in Morton Grove kicked into full gear Wednesday, according to Morton Grove Public Works Director Andy DeMonte.

"At 9 p.m. last night when the storm came through we called in all the crews to make sure all the alleys and driveways were opened," DeMonte said. "At 7 a.m. we started really cleaning everything up," he said, referring to the 28 staff members working in the field. There is typically a staff of 34, but some crew members are on vacation.

Safety Issue: Live Power Lines

With the fallen trees and brush, some power lines in Morton Grove are still live, and DeMonte warned residents to be careful as they remove wreckage.

"It makes it very dangerous when there is a current running through the live power line," he said.

Pumping Stations Without Power

As , the village's two pumping stations are in the same boat. DeMonte said the pumping stations, which control Morton Grove's water source, are running on emergency power.

"As long as those generators keep running, we're fine," he said. "If the generator stop working, we're down, and we don't want to lose our pumping stations, because they control our fire protection."

What Residents Can Do

DeMonte said residents can move the fallen brush from their private property onto the roadside curb, and public works employees will pick it up.

"It's been our policy for years," he said, acknowledging that it could take up to a month to fully clean up.

Thanks to Menards

Public works crews are dumping the fallen trees and brush into the open space at Lehigh and Menard.

"Menards has been gracious enough to let us use the property as a stage until we can pay someone to haul it away," DeMonte said.