Multiple tornadoes are believed to have touched down in Illinois and Indiana during Thursday’s storms, but where exactly did they hit and how strong were they?
The National Weather Service began surveying the damage Friday.
As of 2 p.m., crews confirmed an EF-3 level tornado left damage in Kouts in northwest Indiana’s Porter County and an EF-1 tornado touched down near Dwight, Illinois in Livingston County.
An EF-3 tornado is one with winds between 136 to 165 mph, according to NWS.
Additional crews were assessing damage in Streator, Illinois and Bartlett, Illinois.
NWS said early Friday that “multiple tornadoes impacted Illinois and northwestern Indiana” the day prior and that notable damage occurred in several areas, including near Streator, Illinois; Merrillville, Indiana’ and Hebron, Indiana.
Residents in areas struck by the storms woke up to debris and devastation, with many homes flattened and power lines down in the areas hit worst.
“It’s like a war zone,” one resident told NBC Chicago as he surveyed the damage roughly 30 miles southeast of Kouts in Merrillville, Indiana.
In Merrillville, officials said “extensive damage” was reported across the town from the “devastating” storms.
A look at the damage from a suspected tornado in Merrillville, Indiana. Jorge DeSantiago reports.
Though official numbers on injuries from the storms have not yet been announced, at least one person had to be rescued from the rubble of their home in Streator, in a moment that was caught on camera.
The rescue occurred after a man was found trapped in a pile of debris, video provided to NBC Chicago by a local photographer showed. He said he believed his leg may have been broken.
The powerful twister that struck Streator, was also caught on video by several locals.
A path of damage was left behind by a tornado that blew through Streator, Illinois, on Thursday. NBC Chicago’s Natalie Martinez reports.
