Tornado Tears Through Suburban Chicago, Injuring 8 People and Destroying 19 Houses
Shafkat Anowar/AP/Shutterstock Family members recover belongings in Naperville
Eight people were hospitalized in suburban Chicago after an EF-3 tornado tore through town, damaging more than 125 homes and knocking out power for hundreds.
The tornado swept through Naperville, a city about 30 miles southwest of Chicago, on Sunday night, with reports first coming in around 11:10 p.m., according to a release from the city.
Eight people were taken to Edward Hospital, and six were treated and released by Monday night. Of those still hospitalized, one person admitted in critical condition was upgraded to fair condition, while the second person was in good condition, the city said.
While dozens of homes were damaged, 19 were deemed uninhabitable by the city's Transportation, Engineering and Development Business Group.
Among those who lost their home was Bridget Casey, whose Woodridge abode did not survive the storm, she told the Chicago Sun-Times.
TANNEN MAURY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Chicago tornado
Shafkat Anowar/AP/Shutterstock A damaged home in Woodridge
"I just can't believe it happened, you know? It's not something that you see too often or at all, and it's just scary that everything just comes crashing in," her 16-year-old son Nate told the outlet. "Something that I was happy to see, that was not broken, was my dad's ashes, but there's really nothing else."
Nate said that he was watching TV when the tornado swept in, and quickly helped his mother gather his three younger siblings and safely get them to the basement.
"I was just happy that everybody was okay," Bridget Casey told the Sun-Times.
Shafkat Anowar/AP/Shutterstock Chicago tornado
Meanwhile, in the local Cinnamon Creek subdivision, a couple in their 60s were trapped inside their destroyed home, and had to be rescued by firefighters, WMAQ reported.
"They did an extraordinary job and bringing these folks, recognizing them, identifying them, and then extricating them from the rubble," Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis told the outlet.
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The City of Naperville said that city crews were working on clearing tree debris from more than 100 damaged parkway trees, and that clean-up would take until Wednesday.
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As of Monday morning, 10 people from three different homes in Naperville were taken to a relocation point, and the Red Cross and Salvation Army were helping the displaced families.
Multiple utility poles were also downed during the storm, leaving approximately 450 customers in the area without power. Power was restored for 150 households as of Monday morning.
An EF-3 tornado is classified as strong, and means that wind speeds are between 135-165 mph.
