A severe storm with tornado-like conditions ripped through the Chicago area Monday, leaving hail, downed and split trees, damage to buildings and power outages in its path.
Some of the storm's most destructive work was in the Chicago suburbs, west of the city, including Streamwood, Bellwood, Riverside, and even Brookfield Zoo.
In a statement, Zoo officials said that significant damaged to the grounds occurred, and that the Zoo would be opening late as a result.
In the Zoo's lion enclosure, large trees that snapped and ended up criss-crossing the moat. As a result, the lions will remain indoors Tuesday.
Walkways for Zoo visitors were strewn with tree branches, leaving debris across paths and fences in need of repair.
David Burns, CFO, Brookfield Zoo
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"It was fast and furious is how I might say it," said Brookfield Zoo CFO David Burns, of the storm. "Luckily, the buildings are in pretty good shape we somehow lucked out on that in a big way -- just trees, limbs."
While the Zoo will open for visitors Tuesday -- albeit late -- some areas won't be accessible until more extensive repairs are done.
According to officials, no animals were hurt, and all solid structures are still in tact.
Earlier Tuesday, the National Weather Service tweeted out a statement that it was sending a team to Chicago suburbs including Streamwood, Roselle and Schaumberg, to survey for potential tornado damage.
Local
The agency said it may also sending storm surveyors out to several cities near the Zoo, including Bellwood, Maywood and Westchester to follow up on reports of damage.
