Strong overnight storms knocked down trees, pulled down power lines and left thousands of Milwaukee residents without power on a hot summer day.
On the north side, neighbors are cleaning up and trying to stay cool as crews work to restore electricity. More weather alerts went out as families continued dealing with the aftermath.
Michelle Kling, a north side resident, said the storm moved in fast.
"Like the wind started blowing. I could see the clouds just turned; they just turned really black very quickly. It just happened all of a sudden," Kling said.
For Kling, the storm was loud, fast and frightening.
"I heard a big boom and I saw big giant sparks," Kling said.
A few blocks away, property owner John Stroschein was checking on one of his rental properties after a tree came down and pulled the electrical line from the house.
"The drop right now is on the ground and actually still connected, so it has electricity in it," Stroschein said.
Stroschein said that means everyone has to keep their distance until crews make it safe — and that the repairs will take time.
"Yeah, it'll be 4 or 5 days for sure. Because I got to have the, the master redone and then We Energies has to come back out and reconnect everything," Stroschein said.
For neighbors still without power, the concerns go beyond the heat.
Melissa Bergemann, a nearby resident, said she is worried about food and vulnerable neighbors.
"As high as food is, that's a concern. And also that people with medical conditions and if it gets really hot today, what are people supposed to do?" Bergemann said.
Kling said she is drawing on experience from growing up in Louisiana to manage without power in the heat.
"Hoping it comes on, I'm just gonna follow the shade, yeah, and water. Just wipe yourself with a cold rag and just let the wind hit you," Kling said.
We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said strong winds brought down trees and branches, leaving thousands of customers without electricity. He said the utility has brought in crews from across the region to speed up restoration.
"We've restored power to more than 25,000 customers since that storm blew through. We still have customers to get back on. We've brought in resources from across the Midwest, as far away as Indiana, across the state of Wisconsin, so we're throwing everything at it," Conway said.
Conway said the heat will not stop crews from working.
"We're not going to stop. The heat might slow us down, but it's not going to stop us," Conway said.
Neighbors are doing what they can to stay cool, check on each other, and brace for more possible storms.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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