An Illinois town was devastated by a deadly tornado on Thursday around 7pm.
Matthew Knott, division chief for the Rockford Fire Department, reported that every home in Fairdale was affected by the severe weather, with varying degrees of damage to persons and property.
At least seven people were injured and one woman was killed, according to the Associated Press. Authorities are still working to find missing residents. The deceased was identified as Geraldine M. Schultz, 67, and none of the injured have life-threatening conditions.
One survivor, 67-year-old Susan Meyer, was inside her home when the tornado hit, and decided to stay put.
"I just hunkered down," she recounted. "I figured I was either going to live or I was going to die, so I might as well just stay where I was."
Meyer chose a good location to ready herself for the twister's impact, as the funnel knocked her entire second floor into her living room, and blew out a wall to the home.
"It's by the grace of God that I was in the stairwell," she admitted.
Other homes in the town about 80 miles northwest of Chicago were blown off their foundations. DeKalb County Sheriff Roger A. Scott reported that 15-20 homes were destroyed.
Electric power is out across Fairdale, and all homes were subject to mandatory evacuation. The Red Cross and Salvation Army set up shelters in a local high school for the town's 150 residents.
In total, six counties were hit by at least two tornadoes yesterday, and severe thunderstorms were expected in the Appalachian region on Friday.
The severe weather is "not anywhere near the threat" experienced in the Midwest, however, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Friedlein.
