Residents in Kankakee County, Illinois, brace for another round of storms

People in Kankakee County are prepping their homes in case any winds and potential tornadoes cause more damage.

This comes as residents in the area are still cleaning up following Tuesday’s severe storms.

“I’m just going to move the car back,” said David Conway.

When Conway arrived at his Aroma park home on Sunday, he and his daughter, Laila Keske, came to get any necessities out of the house, and quick.

“I used to love tornadoes, and now I’m like ‘look what it did,’” Keske said.

“I knew that the snow was coming, that was why I was trying to get a contractor so they can get on the roof and get tarps up,” Conway said.

He said he and his three kids have lived in their home for the last seven years. It was destroyed by the tornado on Tuesday night and has suffered severe damage. They plan to put the important items in storage until they get word.

“It’s like, where do I even start?” Conway said.

They aren’t alone. The entire neighborhood is full of tarps, trees uprooted, and streets that look like a war zone.

While the community is trying to clean up, there’s still the worry that it could all come tumbling back down.

All afternoon on Strasma North Drive, the constant sounds of chainsaws were heard in a last-ditch effort to get any hanging branches off trees. While many homes here are a total loss, some did not get hit, and those homeowners said they don’t want any debris or trees hitting their homes from Sunday night’s storms.

“We certainly know about it, and we are certainly concerned about it,” Judy Giacomino, a volunteer with the Red Cross.

She and her partner went door to door on Sunday to assess the damage and help those in need. Giacomino said the people whose homes are still standing are dealing with mental stress that they could be next.

“I don’t know what Mother Nature has in store, but she is certainly picking on Illinois right now,” she said.

“I don’t know about her over there, but I know Christy was saying she’s going to stay,” Conway said.

He said no matter what happens, his family plans to move back to the exact spot, new home or not, as they try to navigate this unfamiliar and uncertain situation.

The Red Cross did open a new shelter on Sunday afternoon at Redemptive Life Ministries on Waldron Road.

They said the last place they were at needed the space, but they are still here to serve anyone displaced.