Recovery Moving Forward After Fairdale Tornado, But Much More Work Ahead
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A week after a deadly tornado devastated the small town of Fairdale, there already have been signs of major progress, but lots more work is needed as survivors recover from the storm.
Work crews said they have hauled hundreds of tons of debris from Fairdale and the outlying areas over the past few days, and it could take several more to get rid of all the wreckage.
The rubble includes large fallen trees, portions of homes destroyed by the twister, and electronics and other possessions tossed about by the force of the EF4 tornado.
AmeriCorps estimated, since Saturday, more than 1,600 volunteers have pitched in to help tornado victims.
Despite the progress, officials estimated the cleanup effort will continue through next week before it is completed.
While some roadblocks have been taken down, Route 72 – a major artery through Fairdale – will remain closed through the weekend.
Volunteers have continued to donate their time and money, and have started to hear about others trying to take advantage of the situation.
DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said he's received reports of people cold-calling residents, or going door-to-door, claiming they're collecting donations for victims, but likely keeping whatever they get for themselves.
"There's no telephone solicitation authorized for the Fairdale disaster relief. None; and there's no door-to-door efforts within this area that are authorized, that we know about," he said. "So please be aware, everything about donations is through Kirkland, the village of Kirkland website."
Police reminded people who want to donate to the relief effort to go through official channels only, such as the Red Cross.
CBS 2 has partnered with the American Red Cross to help tornado victims. You can send a donation by calling 800-RED-CROSS, texting the word REDCROSS TO 90999 to donate $10, or visiting redcross.org/il/chicago