ST. PAUL, MN (June 24, 2010) – Storms that ripped through the Chicago area on Wednesday forced flight cancellations that delayed the arrival of several Evangelical Covenant Church leaders and other delegates to the 125th Annual Meeting until today.
The violent weather also knocked out telephone service at the Covenant Offices until late this morning.
David Parkyn, president of North Park University, and Don Meyer, executive minister of the Department of Communication, were among the officials whose flights were canceled Wednesday. Telephone service was restored around 11 a.m., but more interruptions may be possible as the service provider works elsewhere on the system, said Troy Caldwell, Covenant Offices infrastructure manager for information technology.
Tornadoes and microburst-like winds that reached 73 miles per hour were experienced throughout the greater Chicago area. Stretches of the Stevenson Expressway and the Eisenhower – two major traffic arteries – were shut down for hours.
A photo of dual lightning strikes that has become popular across the Internet gives an idea of the intensity of the storm.
