Pritzker visits Kankakee County as community cleans up tornado damage amid High Wind Warning

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was with emergency teams visiting Kankakee County on Thursday.

The governor was briefed by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency before assessing the storm damage for himself.

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“These storms have caused a number of minor injuries, as well as 300 impacted properties. I think it’s now up to 460 to have been evaluated for some damage… There were 30 homes, maybe more now, that have been totally destroyed,” Pritzker said. “I know that we as a state, we’re going to do everything that we can with our resources to help, and then, I expect the federal government to do its job.”

One stretch of homes in Aroma Park was completely flattened by the EF-3 tornado that was on the ground for over an hour on Tuesday.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the focus in hard-hit Aroma Park has been on cleaning up. A lot of windows have been boarded up, and tarps have been placed on roofs. Crews have also been clearing out debris.

Brandon Tomblin has been living in Aroma Park for about 40 years.

“It’s half the house. It’s the whole garage, half the kitchen, living room. Windows are blown out,” Tomblin said.

Never did he imagine he would be rebuilding his home after an EF-3 tornado swept through, leaving behind a trail of devastation. An now, Kankakee County and other parts of the Chicago area are under a High Wind Warning until 4 p.m. Friday.

“With the winds coming in tonight and tomorrow, I want to get the tarp down and secured, so it don’t rip anything off or debris doesn’t blow in the house,” Tomblin said.

A woman who lived in one of the homes hit was found under the rubble. She has been hospitalized for her injuries.

The ground around what was a two-story home is covered in debris, including clothing, a mattress and an office chair. A life’s worth of memories and belongings were strewn about in a matter of minutes.

With wind gusts up to 150 mph, homes along Sandbar Road in Aroma Park were decimated.

“Two-story home right here, four-car garage right here, we don’t have anything, gone,” homeowner Sam said.

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Sam said he wasn’t home at the time. He lives in the Chicago suburbs and bought the property as a retirement home.

Sam is devastated and in disbelief, he says, by the loss.

“I bought this home a year ago,” he said. “I’ve been working on it, and it should be our retirement home. Our life savings in this house gone in 10 minutes.”

His neighbor, however, a woman who lives alone, was home Tuesday evening, and was later found trapped underneath the rubble, he says, after the storm.

“Her brother told me they found her,” Sam said. “She’s in the hospital with some broken ribs. She’s banged up. I know that her kids were walking around the rubble looking for the cats. They found one dead.”

This is just one of the areas with extensive tornado damage.

Highway 45 and River Road, along the Kankakee River, and Waldron Drive are all areas hard hit, with homes destroyed.

Dozens of repair crews were dispersed across the county Thursday morning, navigating scattered debris, downed power lines and uprooted trees.

RELATED: Kankakee County cleans up damage left by EF-3 tornado, record-breaking hail; several injured

Over at Grace Baptist Church in Kankakee, the building has been turned into a disaster relief center. Families have been stopping by to get water, food, diapers, and clothing.

“People from the community are bringing their kids here, kind of a relief from all the work they’re doing,” said Grace Baptist Church Pastor Chad Dalton.

For those who have been impacted by the tornado, they say any little bit of help goes a long way.

“A lot of people don’t have help nowadays, you know, so it’s a blessing that they can come together and help the community out,” said Kankakee resident Shequitta Woodard.

There has been an overwhelming show of support for people impacted by the storm, with a Red Cross shelter stationed at the Kankakee Community College.

Resources are also available at Grace Baptist Church, which will open at 8 a.m., according to their Facebook page, for people in need of food, water and other supplies for cleanup.

Volunteers, local business and community organizations have been making sure food is available for neighbors, first responders and crews working to clean up and bring some semblance of normalcy to this devastated community.

School District 111 schools remain closed Thursday. Also the district is offering free breakfast, lunch and dinner. The meals are served at the Lincoln Cultural Center on Warren Avenue in Kankakee.

Homeowners are out salvaging what belongings they can and coming to grips with what lies ahead.

“I’ve done construction all my life, but I don’t know where to start honestly. I don’t know,” Sam said.

Sam said he will rebuild his dream home, no matter how long it takes.

Families ABC7 has been talking to say it is going to be a while before Aroma Park returns back to normal. Grace Baptist Church says they will be welcoming community members in need of help or a meal through the weekend.