8:15 a.m. CDT
Emergency crews are searching homes and other structures in a northern Illinois town to make sure nobody is trapped in rubble left by Thursday’s deadly tornado.
Authorities say 67-year-old Geraldine M. Schultz was killed and eight people injured after the tornado swept through tiny Fairdale, an unincorporated town of about 150, some 80 miles northwest of Chicago.
The National Weather Service says at least two tornadoes churned through six north-central Illinois counties – Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago.
Three teams were being deployed to assess the damage, the path of the tornadoes and their strength.
The tornado struck Fairdale around 7 p.m., sweeping homes off their foundations and leaving streets impassable with debris and downed power lines. Officials say at least 17 structures were destroyed and about 50 damaged.