CHICAGO — A tornado on a 28-mile rampage with wind gusts from 90-100 miles per hour tore through Belvidere Friday night, officials confirmed Saturday evening.
The EF-1 twister left a 50-year-old man dead and 40 other adults injured at the Apollo Theatre, Dan Zaccard, director of Boone County emergency management, told the Tribune.
“The weather service did their survey and found the tornado had a 28-mile track that started in Ogle County and ended in North Boone County,” Zaccard said. Belvidere is located in central Boone County.
Zaccard said an EF-1 is characterized by wind speeds of between 90 and 100 miles per hour.
Two of the injured remained in a “life-threatening” condition, according to Zaccard. “They’re in bad shape.”
Some of the 40 injured have already gone home but those still hospitalized mostly suffered “head trauma and soft tissue injuries,” Zaccard said.
The name of the dead man was still not known and Zaccard said no children were among the wounded.
Zaccard said tornado sirens began activating at 7:24 p.m., about 18 minutes before the twister hit. “We don’t know if they could hear them and we don’t know if they heeded the warnings.”
Earlier Saturday, the Belvidere Fire Department along with several surrounding first responders said they flooded the scene of the Apollo Theatre, 104 N. State St., following a call of a collapse.
“A man lost his life, response was in minutes,” Mayor Clinton Morris said. “We always hope for the best and the best would’ve been no fatalities.”
Morris said the tragedy could have been worse, but thanked all of the first responders who arrived to help. He said many of the concertgoers stayed and picked up debris trapping the injured until help arrived.
Friday night, 28 ambulances responded to the scene, and the other injured people got themselves to the hospital. Some of the ambulances made multiple trips, officials said.
The building dates back to 1921 and was historic in Belvidere. So far, officials said the building has been condemned because of the collapse, but were waiting on structural engineers to make the final determination. Officials said the owner of the building was devastated to learn of the deceased man and the injured.
Another building across from the Apollo Theatre also sustained structural damage and was facing being condemned.
Even as a cold wind hit, the Belvidere community continued to gather near the theater Saturday afternoon as authorities worked to clean up the debris. Some mourned not only the death from the tragedy but also an area in the city that will “no longer ever be the same,” said Randy Watson, a lifelong resident of Belvidere.
When he was a child Watson would go inside the theater to watch movies for “just one buck,” he recalled. It was about 20 years ago when the place changed and more recently it had been used mostly by the Latino community in the area to host weddings and other parties, he said.
The architecture of the theater and other buildings nearby make an important part of the culture of Belvidere, Watson added. “I hope it can be fixed,” he said as he stared at the remains. “But more than anything, I feel for the families that have been affected. I’m sure we will all step in to help in any way we can.”
Mary Kurth and her granddaughter walked over to the wreckage and stood there for a few minutes. Kurth lives just three blocks away and Friday night, after learning of the accident, she walked over to the scene because it felt surreal.
In the more than 20 years of living in the town, nothing nearly as tragic has happened, she said. “It looks like a war zone,” Kurth said. “It’s not going to be easy to cope with something like this.”
Kurth and her 23-year-old granddaughter, Felicia Klassen said they did not know anyone at the concert, but they have been praying for their well-being.
Nearly 56 years ago, another tornado hit Belvidere, leaving 24 dead and 500 hurt.
Saturday evening, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an emergency disaster proclamation to unlock immediate assistance and provide public safety support for communities across Illinois impacted by last night’s tornadoes and severe weather, according to an emailed statement from the governor’s office.
The proclamation includes Boone, Crawford, DuPage, Marion and Sangamon counties.
“The devastating storms that swept through our state last night have upended communities and resulted in heartbreaking injury and loss of life,” Pritzker said in the statement.
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