Lt. Tom McCarthy waded into floodwater Tuesday and carried a woman out of her swamped car. That single rescue was one of 43 emergency calls the Hinsdale Fire Department handled during the severe storm that tore through the village on Tuesday, July 28.

The call volume is staggering by local standards. In all of July 2023, the department's monthly report logged 29 total emergency-related calls, including just four for downed or arcing power equipment. On Tuesday alone, crews responded to 20 calls for downed or arcing wires, seven flood-related emergencies, and three for generator failures or carbon monoxide alarms.

Nearly 3 inches of rain fell on the village, with wind gusts reported nearby at 70 mph. Hail the size of ping-pong balls pelted homes and cars. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado with 80 mph peak winds struck Glen Ellyn, just miles north in DuPage County, and damaging straight-line winds above 70 mph hit Westmont, Downers Grove, and Carol Stream.

In Hinsdale, floodwater made several roads impassable. Hinsdale Avenue at Clay, the Community House parking lot, and Minneola near Franklin were among the locations where drivers could not pass, The Hinsdalean reported. A few trees and numerous branches came down in the southeast portion of the village.

The storm also damaged village infrastructure. Hail cracked windshields on police vehicles, and water seeped into the public works garage, the Memorial Building, and portions of the police station. Power lines fell in nine locations, knocking out electricity for more than 1,200 ComEd customers. As we reported July 30, about 180 homes remained without power two days later.

Hinsdale's public services department received about 60 storm-related calls of its own on Tuesday, according to The Hinsdalean. Crews sheltered in place during the worst of the weather and began responding as soon as conditions allowed. By Wednesday, July 29, the village had two woodchippers running, one on the north side and one on the south, to clear streets blocked by downed trees.

Amanda Larry, a resident at Fuller and Elm streets, described neighbors rushing outside with shovels and brooms to unclog storm drains. "They were in the water over an hour moving from one drain to another, reaching their arm all the way in to clear the drains," Larry said. "They saved our home and others from flooding."

No injuries were reported in Hinsdale. More than 450,000 people across the region lost power.