Illinois tornado damage cleanup begins; 1 dead
FAIRDALE, Ill. -- A 67-year-old woman was killed, eight others were injured and hundreds of residents were displaced after a tornado touched down in the small town of Fairdale, Ill.
Geraldine M. Schultz was found dead in her home, authorities said. She died of injuries sustained as a result of Thursday's storm. Schultz was not in her basement when family members found her.
Overnight, rescue crews from 15 agencies searched 71 buildings in Fairdale, fire officials said. Fresh crews will return to those buildings, most of which are homes, for another search during the daylight on Friday.
"We don't know if somebody's missing in the rubble. They're unaccounted for," DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.
"We're hoping our search will be fruitless, and we won't find anybody," Sycamore Fire Chief Peter Polarek said.
PHOTOS: Tornadoes, hail, lightning in Chicago area
Officials said they were not looking for any one person specifically. Many residents left town right before or immediately after the tornadoes hit at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
About 150 people live in Fairdale, which is 80 miles northwest of Chicago. Every home was damaged, officials said. Seventeen buildings were destroyed.
All utilities to the town are off and will remain that way until the search is over and debris is cleared. Residents will be allowed to return to their homes to see if any belongings can be salvaged when it's deemed safe.
"The hardest part: things don't get done quick enough. It's painstaking time to do what we're doing," Kirkland Community Fire District Chief Chad Connell said.
The American Red Cross has arrived in Fairdale, but officials are asking all other volunteers to stay out of the area until asked. To help the Red Cross with relief efforts, visit www.redcross.org.
Fairdale does not have tornado sirens, but Kirkland Fire Department officials said emergency responders had "plenty" of notice. The Kirkland Fire Department is responsible for several small communities.
VIDEO: 12 people rescued from restaurant storm cellar
"We've seen many storms and wind damage and houses down before, but nothing like this to my memory," DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said.
"Some of us have been to Utica, Plainfield, and the devastation was very similar. A lot of lightweight houses didn't stand up very well to the high winds," Sycamore Fire Dept. Incident Commander Chief Pete Polarek said.
Nearby Rochelle, Ill., was also damaged.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TEAMS RESPOND
The National Weather Service says at least two tornadoes churned through six north-central Illinois counties - Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago.
Three teams were deployed Friday to assess the damage, the path of the tornadoes and their strength.
