Large tornado downs trees and power lines in Illinois county
KANKAKEE COUNTY, IL — A large tornado south of Chicago downed trees and power lines Tuesday and overwhelmed the 911 emergency call center, officials said.
The tornado touched down in the Kankakee County area, about 48 miles (76.4 kilometers) south of Chicago, and caused significant damage in the southern part of the city of Kankakee, according to Trooper Jayme Bufford, a spokeswoman for the Illinois State Police. It headed northeast to Aroma Park, where it caused more damage, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office. No injuries were reported.
In a video shared on social media, the tornado is seen passing through a field of farmland near an airport as vehicles lined the road.
Severe storms threatened to bring intense tornadoes, damaging winds and very large hail from the Southern Plains to the southern Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service. States from Texas to Michigan were under tornado watch.
More than 2 million Americans were at moderate risk of severe weather in Illinois and Indiana. Nearly 22 million people were at slightly lower risk in an area including Chicago, Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Just over the Indiana state line, an apparent tornado struck several homes in Lake Village and caused injuries, according to Indiana State Police Cpl. Eric Rot.
He was unable to provide the number of people injured or their conditions.
“We are still in emergency response mode,” he said.
