DAILY CHRONICLE
A wedge tornado Thursday evening left a path of wreckage through Fairdale in DeKalb County. Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
April 11-12, 2015 • $1.50
RELIEF EFFORTS BEGIN Long day of rescue work after 2 killed in Fairdale By ADAM POULISSE • apoulisse@shawmedia.com
F
AIRDALE – Roger Powell had just started eating dinner with his wife, daughter and two granddaughters Thursday when the hail started. It was just the beginning of the EF4 tornado that struck Fairdale at 7:15 p.m., leaving a path of destruction that nearly obliterated the rural community of 150 residents, killing two women and sending 11 others to the hospital. EF4 tornadoes are considered violent in nature and can carry wind speeds up to 200 mph, according to the National Weather Service. “I went out and looked at the hail, and, all of a sudden, it really started getting really bad,” Powell, a 63-year-old retiree who has lived on White Street in Fairdale since 1987, said Friday. He hustled his family into their basement, scooped his border collie into his arms, and reached the basement stairs just as the tornado hit. Powell fell on top of his wife and daughter as he was rushing down the stairs. “I saw our basement door blew open,” Powell said, “and I was just thinking, ‘I hope nobody gets sucked out.’ ” Powell’s wife, Mary, remained in the hospital as of Friday afternoon in good condition after bumping her head. Her
two granddaughters, 13 and 8 years old, were treated for minor cuts and had glass removed from their ears. The family house, however, is gone. “Everything’s gone. Everything,” Powell said. “There was a two-story house, and now it’s no stories. It [is] just the basement and open air.” Several tornadoes were reported to have touched down in northern Illinois as the storm beat a path northeast across the state Thursday. In the Rochelle area, 30 homes were destroyed. Residents and insurance agents will be allowed to return to the area Saturday
Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Crews continue search and rescue efforts Friday in the aftermath of destruction from what weather service officials believe was an EF4 tornado Thursday night that left a path of wreckage through Fairdale in DeKalb County.
INSIDE
Dozens of homes destroyed; DeKalb, Ogle counties declared disaster area
who died in Thursday’s tornado remembered by friends, neighbors. PAGE A6 n Businesses, nonprofits line up relief efforts. Read how to help. PAGE A7
See RESCUE WORK, page A6
By ANDY COLBERT acolbert@shawmedia.com
and DARIA SOKOLOVA dsokolova@shawmedia.com FLAGG CENTER – Gov. Bruce Rauner declared both DeKalb and Ogle counties disaster areas Friday, a day after a storm that generated EF4-strength tornadoes cut a path through the northern part of the state. Rauner appeared first in the Rochelle area, where several homes were destroyed and 14 people were trapped inside Grubsteakers Restaurant after its roof collapsed Thursday. “I signed ... this morning, a state disaster declaration that allows us, if Gov. Bruce we need to, to visit with Rauner the federal government about federal support,” he said during a news conference in a church parking lot in the community of Flagg Center, near Rochelle. “We don’t believe that will be necessary at the present time.”
Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
Roger Powell and his dog, Tipper, survived Thursday’s tornado in Fairdale and are staying with family in Kirkland. Powell, his wife Mary, his daughter and two granddaughters barely made it into the basement before the tornado flattened their home. Mary was hospitalized at OSF St. Anthony Hospital for stress-related symptoms.
The declaration could make DeKalb and Ogle counties eligible for federal disaster funding and assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Rauner and James Joseph, Illinois Emergency Management Agency director, praised Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle for working around the clock despite losing his own home in Thursday’s storm. The three men stood together during the news conference. When asked about his emotional state, VanVickle said, “I know it’s hard to believe, but I love my job.” VanVickle praised the help his staff has been receiving, including 150 officers from other departments who were on hand Thursday in the area. He reported that 30 homes in the Rochelle area had been destroyed. Rauner toured the devastation caused by the wedge tornado, which left two people dead and several others injured in Fairdale in northwest DeKalb County.
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