Freak Storm Ignites "Microburst"; Reports

'We had to dig our way out'

Residents return to gather belongings, view damage

April 01, 2007

Myles Reed was watching TV Saturday night when he saw a report informing viewers about a tornado watch.

Ten minutes later, he heard heavy rains and winds picking up.

"I looked out the window, and I saw trees moving pretty violently," he said. "I heard something that sounded like a train was coming."

Reed, 53, ran to his bathroom and got on the ground in just enough time.

"As soon as I did that, I heard things falling and breaking all over the place," he said.

Story [link to www.dailyherald.com]



Storms destroy apartments, knock down trees

April 01, 2007


Brigitte Gillespie of Carol Stream was watching TV with her 5-year-old son Saturday night when suddenly she felt her building shake.

Gillespie rushed to huddle over her son, Charles. Within seconds, the ceiling of her third-floor apartment had collapsed in on the two, leaving them covered in dust and roof shingles.

"We had to dig our way out," said Gillespie, 32.

Story [link to www.dailyherald.com]



Storm Victims Are Happy To Be Alive
Destructive Storm Was Worst Police Officials Have Seen

(CBS) Carol Stream, Ill. Driving rain and high wind caused severe damage -- peeling the roof from several buildings of an apartment complex in the west suburbs.

CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports that residents are trying to salvage whatever they can in Carol Stream.

Apartment resident Jordan Blanchard talked about the sound of the roof being ripped off of the Covered Bridges Apartment Complex Saturday night when a storm raked the building just before 10 p.m. It sheared away facia board, splintered trees and flung debris high into the air.The storm left Blanchard homeless, but he isn't bitter.

"I praise Jesus that I'm alive today," said Blanchard.

Many other occupants of the more than 80 units damaged in the storm are also giving thanks they weren't killed.

Sergeant John Glos with the Carol Stream Police described it as the worst disaster he's seen in 24 years on the job.

"People were in hysterics," said Glos. "We did have people trapped that were screaming. A couple of kids were under debris."

In all, 11 people were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Nine buildings in the apartment complex have been declared uninhabitable. The Red Cross placed more than a dozen people in shelters Sunday, for the first time, people like Ebony Newell were allowed back in their homes. She and her two young children weren't home last night. It's a fateful decision that she believes saved her young son's life. Ceiling roof dust chaos was in the bed of her two-month old son.

"He would have been gone," she said.

As she dusted debris off Terrence's picture, the young mother shuddered at the thought of what might have been.

Story [link to cbs2chicago.com]



Storm rips roof off apartment building

Other suburban buildings also damaged


April 1, 2007 - A day after severe weather caused the roof of a Carol Stream apartment building to blow off, people who live there are thankful they're alive.

The storm tore through the suburb west of Chicago around 10 o'clock last night.

Daylight revealed just how bad the damage was: branches snapped like twigs, trees uprooted, and roofs ripped off the tops of three buildings at the Covered Bridges apartment complex.

"There's no third floor (anymore). I'm on the second floor. So, it's a lot of water coming in," said Kenya McFarland, whose apartment was damaged.

It's believed a microburst of strong winds, not a tornado, caused the extensive damage.

"We weren't at home, but I came home and my ceilings are all collapsed," said tenant Alicia King.

Those who were home Saturday night were forced to leave following the storm. Many returned Sunday afternoon to gather some personal objects. It will be some time before the tenants will be able to call this place home again, if they're able to at all.

"It's been stressful," said tenant Tyrone Davis, whose apartment was also damaged. "We've basically just been hanging out all night trying to get back in our place to get our belongings."

"All our city was like a swerve. It was a swerve, like a tornado, with just debris just coming. I was scared," said storm witness John Anderson. "I wasn't ready to die right then and there."

Anderson saw debris flying everywhere as he was driving in the storm Saturday night. He was heading to the Wheaton Christian Center, which was also heavily damaged. His boss was inside and quickly realized staying put was a very good idea.

"I just saw darkness of debris circling coming towards the building. I'm just thankful that I did not step outside of the building physically because I would have stepped right into that storm of debris and been shredded to pieces," said church administrator James Ward, Jr. "Thank God for being alive."

Story [link to abclocal.go.com]



Wind Damage Displaces Apartment Residents

CAROL STREAM, Ill. - The American Red Cross is setting up a shelter to help people whose apartment complex in west suburban Chicago was damaged by strong winds during Saturday night's storm. More than 100 residents of the Covered Bridges apartment complex in Carol Stream were in emergency housing Sunday.

Carol Stream Police Chief Rick Willing said sudden winds and driving rain shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday night peeled the roofs off three buildings and did extensive roof and wall damage to six others.

Willing said ambulances took six residents to area hospitals with injuries from flying debris. He said another five people drove themselves to the hospital for treatment. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

Residents said it was terrifying night as the storm blasted its way through the area.

"(The roof) went down in the parking lot. I looked out my window, because my bed is by my window, and I said, 'What is that?' It got scary because I've never experienced that in all my years in Chicago," said resident Maurainne Jones.

Karen Julian said, "A friend of ours lives down here, where the damage was, so we came down here, and the roof's torn off and people are hurt. It's crazy."

Story [link to www.msnbc.msn.com]