Fairdale area tornado was a violent EF-4 storm with winds up to 200 mph
A second person has died in the small farming community of Fairdale after violent tornadoes struck the town Thursday night.
Jacklyn K. Klosa, 69, was found in the rubble of her home. Also killed was 67-year-old Geraldine M. Schultz.
Roughly a dozen other people were injured by the tornadoes, and the search continues amid debris from numerous buildings that were destroyed.
The National Weather Service says the tornado churned through six north-central Illinois counties - Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago.
Here's how the recovery is unfolding.
<h3 class="leadin">4:15 p.m. - Tornado was an EF4
The tornado that ripped through Rochelle, Fairdale and surrounding towns was a violent storm with winds of 166 to 200 mph, the National Weather Service reports.
Scientists gave it a preliminary rating of EF-4, the second highest on a rating scale that runs from weak EF-0 tornadoes with winds of 65 to 85 mph to monstrous EF-5 tornadoes with winds of 200 mph or higher. They reached that conclusion after examining heavily damaged locations on the ground, the agency reported.
The agency characterized it as "a single long-track tornado" based on early findings, but said an aerial survey today or Saturday will help determine whether there were additional tornadoes.
<h3 class="leadin">2:10 p.m. - Women killed were friends
A woman who knew the two people killed in a tornado-ravaged northern Illinois community says the victims were friends.
The two killed were identified as 67-year-old Geraldine M. Schultz and 69-year-old Jacklyn K. Klosa. The women lived close to each other.
Sixty-seven-year-old Sue Meyer says Schultz was known as "Geri" to friends and was kindhearted and gentle. She would also drive Klosa to clinics for medical treatment. Meyer says Klosa was fun-loving and quick-witted.
Meyer was among those whose homes were severely damaged. Fairdale was among the towns hit by severe weather Thursday night.
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<h3 class="leadin">2:05 p.m. - Schaumburg man says his friend is OK
It wasn't until he checked Facebook in the morning that Robb Walker of Elgin realized that his childhood friend was among those trapped and eventually pulled out of the rubble of Grubsteakers Restaurant in Rochelle. Truck driver Tod Carlock, with whom Walker grew up in Mt. Morris, had stopped at the restaurant after having a tire issue and calling a repair service, Walker said. Carlock is OK, but his semi was flipped on its side by the tornado. "He was hoping to purchase a new truck in the near future. Now it looks like he doesn't have much of a choice thanks to the storm," Walker said, adding that he donated money to the Rockford chapter of the American Red Cross. "People should donate needed items or funds if they want to do more to help than just posting warm and fuzzy words on Facebook," he said.
<h3 class="leadin">12:50 p.m. - Sheriff says his house was destroyed
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle's home was among those destroyed near Rochelle.
"My house is gone. I knew I didn't have anything there. We went to work and helped the other people that needed the help. I got there this morning around 5 a.m. to see that my house was gone. This is what I was told and what I expected," VanVickle said.
His wife and children were not injured, he said.
About 30 other homes were destroyed, but only minor injuries were reported.
VanVickle said advance warning made a big difference: Sirens went off 27 minutes before the first funnel cloud sighting. The sheriff's department also posted on social media after the National Weather Service issued a warning about 7 p.m. The agency had been predicting possible severe weather for days in advance.
<h3 class="leadin">12:45 p.m. - Rauner declares disaster area
Gov. Bruce Rauner declared DeKalb and Ogle counties state disaster areas.
The declaration makes available a wide variety of state resources to help affected communities respond and recover from the storms.
"Our hearts and thoughts go out to those impacted by yesterday's storms," Rauner said. "The state will do everything it can to help these families and communities recover and heal, while providing response resources."
Rauner also has mobilized personnel and assets, including conservation police officers, communication equipment and light towers.
All state roads, with the exception of a two-mile portion of Route 72 just north of Fairdale, are open, and the state has started damage assessment flights around the hardest-hit areas.
The State Incident Response Center in Springfield was also activated Thursday and will remain operational as long as necessary. Several state agencies are working with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the deployment of state workers and equipment to assist local governments.
More information about the state's tornado response and tornado safety is available on the Ready Illinois website at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.
<h3 class="leadin">11:40 a.m. - Volunteers asked to wait
Volunteers are asked to hold off going to the tornado-damaged area for the time being, according to Jenny Thompson, marketing and public relations manager for the city of Rochelle. She said an announcement will be made, probably in a few days, when the time is right for volunteers to help at the scene.
Posted on the Rochelle Police Facebook page:
"Traffic flow in and out of the hardest hit areas is being limited to 'residents only' who own homes which sustained damage - so please avoid travel through those areas while crews take care of these sections."
Also, "Rochelle and Hillcrest Fire Departments have notified us that they are taking food and clothing donations, and Pete Harkness of Oregon, IL., is also taking donations of any kind."
<h3 class="leadin">11:20 a.m. - Four-legged victims
Animals - from family pets to livestock - were victims, too.
A Facebook page titled Fairdale, IL Tornado Recovery recounts a resident who found two "very scared" dogs near Center and Flagg roads and took them home with her. Later, they were reunited with their owners. But another post described a missing white German Shepherd named Missy. And yet another post spoke of helping a resident get another dog to an emergency vet.
Video of a destroyed farm showed cows milling around uninjured, but another family described rescuing sheep from a collapsed barn. Most survived, but some died.
<h3 class="leadin">10:54 a.m. - Police blocking access for now
Steve Cassidy said he stood outside as long as he could to watch the tornado, before retreating to a basement for safety as the tornado in Rochelle came through.
"I was standing outside on the porch watching it on the next road over," he said. "Then it turned east and veered away from us."
He said his house only sustained minor damage, but the farm across the street was destroyed.
"It wiped my neighbors' farm out," he said. "It's a shame. I feel bad for them."
He said he assisted people where he could, but added he has been stopped by police when trying to go deeper into the affected areas.
"We helped out someone with a generator and then assisted cutting down trees where we could," he said. "I'll head out there later when they start letting more people in."
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<h3 class="leadin">10:30 a.m. - Sifting through the rubble
Emergency crews were still searching homes and other structures in Fairdale on Friday morning to make sure nobody was trapped in the rubble. The authorities said, however, that they were fairly confident no more victims were among the debris. The tornado destroyed at least 17 structures and damaged about 50 - most of the town's 75 buildings. About 20 additional homes were severely damaged or destroyed in nearby Ogle County, Sheriff Brian Van Vickle said, adding that no deaths or significant injuries had been reported there. Ogle County is adjacent to DeKalb County, which includes Fairdale.
Chad Connell, the Kirkland Community Fire District chief, said he watched the tornado move across the area from his porch. Asked to describe it, he was at a loss for words, saying only "it was big" as he shook his head.
"I've never seen anything like it in my life," he said.
<h3 class="leadin">10:20 a.m. - 'Pretty much toast'
Jerry Richardson of Hinckley is digging through the debris around his sister's house south of Fairdale, hoping to salvage as many belongings as possible.
His sister, 60, and her two dogs survived the tornado in the basement and stayed with friends overnight.
She texted Richardson that she was all right as he watched coverage of the disaster unfold on TV.
"The house is pretty much toast," he said. "She was talking about remodeling her kitchen anyway."
Some severely damaged houses in the area seemed abandoned in the early morning, with their upper bedrooms and bathrooms exposed to view. Neighbors joined forces to try to clear roads, helped by county highway crews.
Near Kirkland, a red barn stands with its roof and one wall gone, but rectangular hay bales stacked neatly inside. Cows milled around a pasture outside.
<h3 class="leadin">9:30 a.m. - How strong was it?
Three teams are being deployed to assess the damage, the path of the tornadoes and their strength.
Meteorologist Charles Mott said the size of the tornadoes will not be determined until damage assessments are completed.
The tornado struck Fairdale around 7 p.m., sweeping homes off their foundations and leaving streets impassable with debris and downed power lines. Officials say at least 17 structures were destroyed and about 50 damaged.
The National Weather Service tweeted about 7 p.m. that a tornado was on the ground in Rochelle, on Route 72 west of Kane County.
The tornadoes originated near Ashton, just southwest of Rochelle, and moved along a 50-mile path northeast to Marengo, according to Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Izzi said radar indicated there was one long-track tornado, staying on the ground for at least 15 miles, and several medium-length tornadoes.
Kirkland Community Fire District Chief Chad Connell said the search continues in Fairdale for missing people. He said 17 homes were destroyed Thursday night, and that 70 homes sustained some form of damage. "We are still looking for some people that remain unaccounted for," he said Friday. "The whole town is devastated."
Residents were surveying the damage Friday morning.
A dozen people were trapped in the basement of Grubsteakers, a Rochelle restaurant that collapsed during the storm.
One of those rescued from the restaurant, Raymond Kramer, 81, told ABC 7 that he was trapped with 11 others in the storm cellar for 90 minutes. They were freed only after emergency crews removed debris that had fallen over them. He said none of those rescued was injured.
Kramer said he and his wife pulled over at Grubsteakers just moments before the tornado struck. He said he was taking photos of the storm from the doorway when the restaurant owner ordered everyone into the storm cellar.
"No sooner did we get down there, when it hit the building and laid a whole metal wall on top of the doors where we went into the storm cellar," Kramer said. "When the tornado hit, we all got a dust bath. Everyone in there got shattered with dust and debris falling out of the rafters."
The tornadoes originated near Ashton, just southwest of Rochelle, and moved along a 50-mile path northeast to Marengo, according to Gino Izzi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Izzi said radar indicated there was one long-track tornado, staying on the ground for at least 15 miles, and several medium-length tornadoes
The weather service will be doing formal damage surveys today. Tornadoes were also seen near Marengo.
• Daily Herald staff writer Elena Ferrarin contributed to this report.