Tornado Rips Roof Off House, Devastates Farm In Will County
UPDATED 10/26/10 4:17 p.m.
FLIGHT DELAY INFORMATION:
- FROM THE FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM COMMAND CENTER
- FROM THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION
PEOTONE, Ill. (CBS) - The roof of a house was ripped off a south suburban house Tuesday morning and another nearby farm house was knocked off its foundation after a tornado touched down in Peotone.
CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports the damage happened along the 3000 block of Will Center Road, between Beecher and Peotone in Will County.
The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday afternoon that a tornado touched down in Peotone during the storm.
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The storm left a large swath of destruction right through the Schroeder family homestead. After the storm tore the roof off the house, it next hit a shed, and tore it clear off its foundation. A front porch and a second shed were picked up and tossed some 30 yards away.
When the storm hit, Justin Schroeder was standing in front of the home. His younger brother, Jesse, was out on the porch, when a gust blew him back inside.
"He was standing out here on the porch, and when the wind kicked up, he came through the door," Justin Schroeder said. "His finger sliced open pretty good. He's got a few cuts on his head."
Jesse Schroeder was taken from what remains of his house to a hospital, where he was treated for cuts and lacerations. But Justin knows he and his brother are both actually lucky.
"It was scary, but you know, at the same time, we just don't know what to think," Justin Schroeder said. "You didn't see anything, you didn't hear anything. ... It was just literally like someone dropped a bomb out of the sky."
Justin Schroeder suffered cuts to his face from the flying glass, but he chose not to be taken to the hospital.
Peotone Fire Chief Bill Schreiber told CBS 2's Jim Williams that it was a wonder other children in the area were not hurt.
"Especially at that time. We had school buses picking children up. It could have been a whole lot worse," Schreiber said.
A half mile from the Schroeder house, every structure on a farm was damaged. The 88-year-old owner, who has lived there for decades, will now have to leave.
The house was knocked off the foundation; other buildings were destroyed and several trees on the farm were snapped.
"It's very devastating," said Kathy Logan, the owner's daughter. "He thought this was going to be his last stop."
CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli and Jim Williams contributed to this report.
