Crews searched for missing residents today after at least one tornado brought chaos to a tiny northern Illinois town, killing two people, injuring roughly a dozen more and sweeping homes off their foundations.
The large storm that rumbled across much of the US also forced the cancellation of more than 850 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport yesterday and dozens of others at the city's Midway International Airport. The outlook was much improved today, although about 90 flights were cancelled and dozens of delays were expected.
At least two tornadoes swept through Illinois yesterday. At least one of them struck Fairdale, a community of roughly 150 people about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.
Two women were killed and about a dozen other people were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life- threatening.
Authorities said about 15 to 20 homes were destroyed and just about every building in the town was damaged.
All homes were evacuated as a safety precaution and power was out across the area. The Red Cross and Salvation Army established a shelter at a high school.
After raking Illinois, yesterday's storm and cold front headed northeast, dumping snow in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and sweeping across the Ohio Valley overnight. The system was headed into the Appalachian region today with the potential for severe thunderstorms.
Some 20 additional homes were severely damaged or destroyed in Ogle County, adjacent to DeKalb, Sheriff Brian VanVickle said, adding no deaths or significant injuries were reported there.
VanVickle said 12 people were trapped in the storm cellar beneath a restaurant that collapsed in the storm in Rochelle, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Fairdale.
One of those rescued from the Grubsteakers restaurant, Raymond Kramer, 81, told Chicago's WLS-TV they were trapped for 90 minutes before emergency crews were able to rescue them, unscathed.
"No sooner did we get down there, when it hit the building and laid a whole metal wall on top of the doors where we went into the storm cellar," Kramer said. "When the tornado hit, we all got a dust bath. Everyone in there got shattered with dust and debris falling out of the rafters.
