A statue of the Virgin Mary was left untouched when an EF-1 tornado ripped through a suburban Bartlett neighborhood, even uprooting multiple trees and scattering debris nearby.
“My kids playpen, everything, pergola, completely knocked out, and the statue of the Virgin Mary is still there. It didn’t move an inch,” resident Luis Lopez told NBC Chicago.
Crews were out in the suburb on Friday, cleaning up downed trees and debris nearby at a shopping center at Route 59 and Stearns Road.
“There was water coming like, waterfalls, the doors were going like it was an earthquake,” said Joanna Lambrou, the owner of Ambrosia Greek Eatery, which sits in the plaza. “Unbelievable how strong nature can be. Gas was smelling everywhere.”
Cellphone video from inside her restaurant captured the intensity of the tornado as it tore through the village.
Another video provided to NBC Chicago showed a driver caught in the parking lot, forced to ride out the storm in her car.
“It had the strength of a tornado, and we saw the videos,” said Dan Gunsteen, the village of Bartlett president. “It definitely looks like a tornado.”
Gunsteen said multiple homes and businesses were damaged near the intersection, including a Home Depot and a BP gas station that had all of its pumps knocked over.
“I’ve lived in Bartlett my entire life, and I have not seen a storm like this ever, so this is probably the worst storm the village probably has seen,” he said.
Village officials asked residents to be mindful of crews working this weekend and to report any trees blocking the street by calling Public Works at 630-837-0811.
Officers will also conduct extra patrols this weekend to deter potential criminal activity.
The village said residents should separate brush from all other debris and place it at the curb for pickup by Groot on Tuesday. A special brush collection will be scheduled for next week, according to the village.
