A quiet Naperville neighborhood looks quite different today than it did five years ago, when an EF-3 tornado swept through Naperville during the late evening of June 20, 2021.
Remembering the 2021 Naperville tornado
Kelly Dougherty recalls part of the 14-mile path that the tornado carved as it passed through the Cinnamon Creek subdivision, with peak winds near 140 mph.
“It looked almost like a war zone,” said Dougherty. “There was a car that was flipped. There were electrical lines down, lots of trees down [and] heavy damage to the houses.”
Neighbors helping neighbors
In the wake of the chaos, Dougherty stepped up.
“I gave my phone number out to people, just wanting to be helpful, not knowing where to start at first,” said Dougherty.
She helped to create the nonprofit Naperville Tornado Relief, along with Kristy Kennedy and Selvei Rajkumar, helping impacted homeowners clear debris from their yards, particularly small driven-in particles left even a couple of years later, and working with state and city government officials to secure $1.5 million in funding for victims.
The degree of destruction
According to the Naperville Fire Department, more than 130 homes were damaged, with at least 20 deemed uninhabitable. The worst of it was a house on Princeton Court that was completely leveled, with a couple still inside.
“It took me about a month to sink in what really happened,” said homeowner Ardvin Patel.
Ardvin Patel says he and his wife Sarita were asleep on the second floor, waking up just moments before impact.
“The sirens kind of came late and I obviously didn’t have my cell phone,” said Ardvin.
With no time to reach the basement, the two took the brunt of the collapse. While Ardvin remained practically unscathed, Sarita suffered broken ribs and injuries to her back and shoulders, resulting in multiple surgeries.
Long road to recovery
Five years later, the scars are fading but the emotional toll on the neighborhood remains.
“We’re back to normal but with much more anxiety regarding storms,” said Dougherty.
The road to recovery, far from easy, she says, was plagued by insurance delays and contractor battles.
“This has not been quick,” said Dougherty.
She noted the very last impacted home was only just recently finished being fully fixed.
Rebuild and resiliency
Today, as new roofs catch the morning sun and young saplings stand where older trees once towered, they’re a symbol of a neighborhood reborn.
“The future is bright. We have young families still moving into the area,” said Dougherty. “And a lot of our neighbors have chosen to stay and be a part of the community.”
That includes the Patels, who had their new home built from the ground up.
“We’ve been a Naperville resident for 35 years in the same house [that] our kids grew up [in], a lot of memories,” said Ardvin. “We’re here. We’re grateful to the community, to everybody who help us rebuild our life.”
Proof that Mother Nature can tear homes apart, but it takes something much stronger to break a community.
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