Some Progress Evident In LaSalle County, One Week After Deadly Tornado
(CBS) – A week after a deadly tornado ripped through Ottawa and Naplate, some progress is evident as the LaSalle County communities rebuild hard-hit areas.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Ed Curran returns to the region, about 85 miles southwest of Chicago.
Naplate Fire Chief John Nevins says the most surprising thing has been how quickly the cleanup has progressed.
"It's moved along faster than I thought with the destruction that we had. Certainly in this area where we're at there's still a lot of debris, but if we look around the rest of the village, much of it is gone," he says.
Nevins says the lingering sight of uprooted houses is likely because owners are still waiting on insurance adjusters.
"Some companies will be out a little later than others, but it's all going to be taken care of in a rapid fashion," Nevins says.
The tornado that struck last week was an EF-3 that reached speeds of about 155 mph, weather officials said.
Two men were fatally struck by a falling tree in Ottawa when the storm hit.