Pritzker tours storm-ravaged Kankakee County, Aroma Park, hopes for federal help

The tornado that tore through Kankakee County this week destroyed at least 30 homes and damaged nearly 500 buildings in the state, Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday.

It also appears to have claimed one life. Late Thursday, the Kankakee County sheriff's office reported a body had been found inside a damaged home in the village of Aroma Park, and that the person who died "appears to have been a victim from the tornado damage." No other information was available.

Two deaths had been confirmed in Indiana earlier this week.

There were otherwise “very few” injuries, in Pritzker said during a briefing after surveying the damage in Kankakee and Aroma Park.

“Much of that was people looking out for each other,” Pritzker said.

ComEd has restored “99%” of power to the community, with full restoration expected by Thursday night, the governor added.

Buildings damaged by the storm include schools, Riverside Hospital, the Kankakee County jail and courthouse, and the Shapiro Developmental Center, state officials said. The Shapiro center is a state facility that provides services and support to adults with developmental disabilities.

Citing preliminary findings, the National Weather Service categorized the tornado as an EF3, on a five-step scale, with EF5 being the most powerful. It touched down around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday just west of Aroma Park and swept east for about 35 miles, reaching a point near Demotte, Indiana.

A couple in Lake Village, Indiana, died in the storm after the tornado hit there just before 7 p.m. Tuesday. Officials identified them as Edward L Kozlowski, 89, and his wife Arlene Kozlowski, 84.

The storm also produced potentially record-setting hail in Illinois and Indiana that also caused extensive damage to homes and vehicles.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency was still assessing damage Thursday throughout Kankakee County, Pritzker said. The governor couldn’t yet say how much the state could offer for recovery assistance.

“We’ve got to assess all the damage and figure out how much it will cost to restore not just the individual homes and the damage that’s been done, but very importantly also, the community resources and infrastructure,” Pritzker said.

The state plans to seek resources from Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well.

“Just looking around, this looks like a circumstance where federal resources will be triggered and should come to this community,” Pritzker said.

“I have some confidence here because I think it’s pretty obvious that the damage here is devastating,” Pritzker added, referring to the Trump administration’s denial of an appeal from the state of Illinois for disaster relief funds for summer storms last year.

Added Pritzker: “I think the fact that it’s evident just by pictures, really, or walking around, you can see that this community needs help.”