ottawa IL tornado damage

[cookiedough]

just yesterday saw it on the local news.  Sure hope all is safe down there.

Anyone get any damage?  We just got some hail luckily with no damage done over 2 hours north of that area.

[Challenger]

Sirens went off here about 3:45 Tornado on the ground 5 miles south west of us, Kids on the school bus got close up video and posted them. We watched it go around us to the north and head towards Ottawa. The front actually split and the southern half headed towards Lacon & Washburn, Several cities sustaining major damage, We dodged a huge bullet on this one. Google washburn tornado or Ottawa tornado for some scary videos. 

[old2soon]

News was saying Perryville Missouri got beat up bad as well. High winds woke me up around 0230. Had a moment or two of "concern". No sirens sounded here and some City workers I know told me we as a City-dodged a bullet. Prays for those tat lost most. RIDE SAFE.

[wiggydotcom]

I'm a little further away than Challenger. Living in Yorkville, Illinois puts me 32 miles from Ottawa and about 34 from Naplate, which is just Southwest of Ottawa.  We just received heavy ran for a couple hours.

There was one confirmed death in South Ottawa...a 76 yr old gentleman who was crushed by a falling tree. Half of the homes in the small town of Naplate(300 population) were destroyed or badly damaged.

Prayers go out to all communities affected. I hear there was also major damage in Tennessee.

[cookiedough]

Sirens went off here about 3:45 Tornado on the ground 5 miles south west of us, Kids on the school bus got close up video and posted them. We watched it go around us to the north and head towards Ottawa. The front actually split and the southern half headed towards Lacon & Washburn, Several cities sustaining major damage, We dodged a huge bullet on this one. Google washburn tornado or Ottawa tornado for some scary videos. 

Yah, saw on the news that the kids on buses were very close and some parents were glad they were NOT home at the time yet.  I would think the school system would want the kids to stay in the school since safer than a bus,  if so close around 3 p.m. or so but tornadoes can pop up with only minutes notice I guess?

Never say never I guess?  I saw in 1984 first hand soon afterwards the Barneveld WI tornado while in high school some 30 miles or so away is all.  NOT good an F5 total town pretty much leveled except the water tower and a few homes left is all.