Tornadoes Level Town in North Central Illinois, Killing 2 People and Leaving Widespread Damage
Violent tornadoes ripped through north central Illinois Thursday evening, killing at least two people and leaving a trail of destruction in multiple counties.
Officials say that at least two tornadoes tore through a 50-mile swath and flattened a farming town in northwest Chicago.
Fairdale, a town of just 150 people in DeKalb County, was the most devastated by the storm. Not only did the twister level about a quarter of the homes in the small town, it also killed 67-year-old Geradine M. Schultz.
According to Kirkland Community Fire Chief Chad Connell, all 71 buildings sustained some damage while 17 homes were knocked off their foundations, reports The Chicago Tribune.
"The whole town was gone," said Daniel Prothero, after arriving at the scene following the storm, reports NBC Chicago. "It was one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life. It was heartbreaking."
"This town is absolutely devastated by the tornado," Rockford Fire Department division Chief Matthew Knott added. He went on to describe the twister that touched down in Fairdale at 7:15 p.m. Thursday as a powerful, but slow-moving tornado.
"Fairdale is pretty well destroyed from what I understand," said Les Bellah, village president of Kirkland, Ill, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Gov. Bruce Rauner confirmed a second fatality on Friday, who was identified as 69-year-old Jacqueline Klosa by the coroner's office. According to DeKalb County Coroner Dennis Miller, Klosa was found in the wreckage around 10 a.m. Friday morning.
In addition, an official announced Friday morning that one community member was unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, about 11 people were taken to hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, said Kirkland Community Fire District Chief Chad Connell.
The weather service reported that the tornado also left lots of damage in Franklin Grove in Lee County, Hillcrest into northwest DeKalb County and southern Boone County, and near Harvard in McHenry County. The second tornado's path expanded from near the Rockford Airport into Cherry Valley in Winnebago County, before crossing into Boone County.
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