ABC NewsA tornado slammed the tiny Illinois town of Fairdale Thursday, killing one person, injuring seven and destroying homes across the town, authorities said.
A 67-year-old woman was found unresponsive in her Fairdale home by family members and was later pronounced dead, according to DeKalb County Coroner and County Emergency Services Coordinator Dennis Miller.
The tornado affected all 40 to 50 homes and structures in Fairdale, authorities said. Incident commander Pete Polarek said the winds proved to be too powerful for the less than one-square-mile town of about 200 residents.
“There’s some houses that were pushed into a big pile,” Polarek said at a news conference. “Some of the others, all that’s left is a foundation.”
— Rockford Fire (@RockfordFire) April 10, 2015
Work continues in #Fairdaletornado. All structures in town are damaged. pic.twitter.com/qf2cVTUGlz
— Rockford Fire (@RockfordFire) April 10, 2015
The full extent of the storm’s impact will emerge during the Friday daytime hours, as Fairdale and other area communities assess the damage. The tornado was part of a strong system bringing hail and damaging winds to the Midwest and Plains.
But it appears that Fairdale was hit the hardest. The unincorporated community is situated in north-central Illinois, about 30 miles south of the Wisconsin border. Kirkland Fire Chief Chad Connell, speaking at an overnight news conference, said he expects the region’s tight-knit nature to emerge following the tornado.
“It’s times like now, we really rally around community,” he said.
A shelter has been set up at a nearby high school and the Red Cross and Salvation Army are assisting.
Authorities said they were fairly confident there were no more victims among the debris but that they would be working Friday to account for every single resident, including those who may have left town before the storm.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/tiny-illinois-town-slammed-deadly-tornado/story?id=30217421