Tornado damage in North Aurora, Illinois called worst ever seen
NORTH AURORA, Ill. (CBS) -- The tornado total from the storms Sunday and Monday night is growing—with even more surveying under way.
The National Weather Service has now confirmed 18 tornadoes in Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana between the storms Sunday and Monday night.
One of those 18 tornadoes cut a path through North Aurora. The tornado, which spun up in Sugar Grove, was an EF-0—the lowest ranking on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with 3-second gusts of 65 to 85 mph.
Nonetheless, it was the worst damage a team with decades of experience had ever seen. The team hit the streets in North Aurora after midnight Monday night, and were putting in overtime Wednesday.
The public works crew started at 7 a.m. and made multiple stops. They followed the same path as a now-confirmed EF-0 tornado Monday night.
Mary Evans of North Aurora said a 60-year-old sycamore tree came down on her home on the aptly-named Sycamore Lane. As of Wednesday, the tree was still lying on Evans' roof—having crushed the beams underneath.
"I don't know if they're trusses, but they're all broken up in there," Evans said as she showed the condition of her roof with the tree on top of it.
Evans was told her house had the worst home damage in all of North Aurora. She talked about the moment she heard the crash from the tree.
"I thought it was just a big, loud thunder crack at first. But when I saw the hole by my back door here, I'm like, oh…,"said Evans. "I have somebody coming in pretty soon doing an estimate, hopefully, and one tomorrow. I can't lift it myself."
Evans had previously often thought of having the tree chopped down and taken away. But says Mother Nature made the decision for her Monday.
The tree that came down also spiked a limb through the ceiling into her living room.
"I got this hole in my roof from the tornado," she said. "Branch must have come darting through and knocked everything over."
She was alarmed by the sight.
"I looked around and I'm like, OK, I've got to go jump in the bathtub in the middle of the house," Evans said.
Evans said she has been through a stressful, emotional experience made harder by the widespread damage. Every repair company is so busy that she has been waiting for more estimates.
But the good news is after two nights in a hotel, Evans' power came on before noon Wednesday—and she's back home.
Just around the corner from Evans' house, crews cleared branches from the road and sidewalks—using a brand new woodchipper. They picked up the implement of necessary destruction Tuesday, after North Aurora leaders gave final approval for its purchase at a board meeting just hours before the tornado hit.
The new equipment came before the worst storm some have ever seen in North Aurora.
"I think this was an EF-0 tornado, and I don't believe in my years here we have had one—a real tornado. So this is probably the worst one that I've seen here," said North Aurora Public Works Director Brian. Richter "We've had other ones, but not with this much damage to a localized area."
Crews say another week will be needed to clean up all the major branches and limbs. But even after that, crews have 10 trees that were so badly damaged that they must be completely removed.