Tarmac peeled back like tree bark, slumping concrete blocks, lakefront flooding — all evidence of Mother Nature’s wrath from the first winter storm of the season.
“It’s devastating; it’s terrible watching this happen to the lakefront,” said Adam Lindgren, 34, of Humboldt Park, who came to see the aftermath of a weekend storm that brought 55-mph wind gusts and 20-foot-high waves.
By the time Lindgren arrived late Monday morning, city crews had already cleaned up a section of torn-up lakefront tarmac just north of the Ohio Street Beach. They were putting up “DO NOT CROSS” barriers to keep pedestrians away from the newly skinned surface.
“I’m going to try to go up to the top of the steps and see if they yell at me,” said Adam Likavec, 43, of the South Loop, who had the day off Monday and was in the middle of an eight-mile run when the barriers brought him to a halt.
Monday, city officials said crews were still assessing the damage from Saturday’s storm and could not provide a timeline or cost estimates for repairs. But some sections of the lakefront that were closed following the storm had reopened Monday, including from 41st to 45th streets, the Chicago Park District said.
Farther north in Rogers Park, several huge concrete blocks along Howard Beach Park had slumped forward. Several residents reported high water in nearby streets. But the storm wasn’t as bad as ones here late last year, perhaps because city crews have been hauling in boulders to help slow erosion.
“Lots of big waves [Saturday], but not as dramatic an issue because ... now it looks like it’s shored up pretty well,” said Robert Armband, who lives just south of Juneway Beach, but isn’t directly facing the lake.
Said Dyan Elliott, whose first-floor condo overlooks the lake: “It was really, really high water. I went out on the balcony because I had to cover up the barbecue and I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ it’s like being on a ship or something.”
The city is expected to get a break from high winds and towering waves — at least for the short term.
“There’s a potential for a bit of a wintry mess,” said Lee Carlaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services, speaking about the forecast for Friday and Saturday.
The weekend could bring snow, sleet or freezing rain, Carlaw said.
Contributing: David Struett
