WLS in Geneva Teams from the National Weather Service will look into reports of tornado touchdowns from Tuesday night’s storms.
There could be multiple tornado touchdowns from the storms, according to ABC7 Accuweather Tracy Butler. The storms also brought very strong winds and hail up to two inches in diameter.
Some neighbors at Geneva’s Essex Court and Pepper Valley Drive believe a tornado touched down there, while others speculate that a microburst may have caused it. The storm severely damaged homes and tore apart trees.
Although it hasn’t been verified, fire officials claimed to have received a report of a tornado touchdown in the Geneva area, close to Kaneville, just east of Randall Road. We noticed some serious damage to a few of the homes when we first arrived in this neighborhood, which is about three or four blocks long and has a narrow path,” stated Michael Antenore, the chief of Geneva Fire Department. “Many big trees in the front and back yards have been uprooted, along with broken windows, fallen trees, and some doors that were blown off inside.
“It could have been much worse, but we lost several windows, including the one where the frame was pushed into the house,” Geneva resident Rebecca Harrington said.
Scenes from the area included a trailer that almost toppled over on its side and a trampoline that was almost wrapped around a tree.
According to fire officials, they completed a preliminary damage assessment on Tuesday evening and intend to return on Wednesday morning to complete a comprehensive inventory and map every bit of damage. There have been reports of additional potential tornadoes and funnel clouds in the following locations: Hoffman Estates, Illinois; Kane County near Sugar Grove; DeKalb County; Lee County near Paw Paw; and East Chicago, Indiana.
Hoffman Estates was reportedly surrounded by a funnel cloud as well. One mother and her daughter were huddled in their first-floor bathroom at that exact moment.
“The wind suddenly became stronger. We heard objects striking the windows and the roof. We were on the lower level. “The alarms were sounding,” stated Nancy Kramp. “I mentioned to her that I believed it might be a tornado when I heard something striking the window.” Her response was, ‘No, we’re okay.’. ‘No, I really think this is a tornado coming through,’ I thought,” Lauryn Kramp remarked.
In the High Point subdivision, the storm brought down power poles and trees, leaving several blocks without light. Siding and other damage was sustained by some homes.
“Our fence was not up. Nancy stated, “There are pieces of peoples’ roofs and siding all over the yard. The storm caused damage to the apartment building in the Washington Court neighborhood of north suburban Mundelein.
While some locals claimed they were unaware of the approaching storm, others claimed they heard loud noises and knew right away that severe weather was in the area.
Paul Kanta has been a longtime resident of the area.
“I realized it was 7:30 when I heard the noise—the wind, the rain—and thought a tornado was coming,” Kanta replied. Then I heard all the commotion coming from the rear, and everyone was gone except for the police.I was going through every room in an attempt to find a place to hide without windows. I mistook it for a bomb or a roof collapse.”
Some people likened it to the sound of an approaching freight train.
Assisting those who have been displaced, the American Red Cross said that at least twenty apartments are uninhabitable.
It’s unclear how much damage was done or whether anyone was hurt at this time..
