A 54-year-old man died in Des Moines, Iowa, after a tree fell on his homeless encampment during a line of severe thunderstorms that spawned multiple tornadoes across the Midwest on Thursday evening. Des Moines police said in a statement that the tree “broke apart and fell during strong storms” Wednesday evening. Officers found the man injured, and he died at the scene.
The storms tore across a wide area from central Illinois into northwestern Indiana. A tornado hit Streator, Ill., at 5:52 p.m. CDT, and another was reported in Dwight, Ill., just after 6:15 p.m. The system moved east into Lake and Porter counties in Indiana around 7 p.m. Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said no deaths had been reported in the city. “We are incredibly grateful for the safety of our residents and the quick action of emergency personnel,” she said in a statement.
Nearly 500,000 customers in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan remained without power as of Friday morning. Hard-hit areas included Kouts and Merrillville in Indiana, and Bartlett, Naperville, Streator and Dwight in Illinois.
An animal shelter in Springfield, Ill., suffered heavy damage. Deana Corbin, executive director of the Animal Protective League, said the storm “pretty much wiped out our shelter facility, took the roofs off both of our buildings.” All nearly 150 cats and 28 dogs survived. “It’s a miracle,” Corbin said. “We were so blessed to not have any injuries of either people or animals.”
In Streator, first responders pulled a man from debris after he was trapped in a collapsed home. It was not immediately clear if he was injured. Illinois State Police confirmed heavy damage in Streator and closed Illinois-18 into the town for cleanup and rescue. Displaced residents and separated families were directed to Streator City Hall.
Merrillville Police also reported heavy damage and road closures. Hobart, Ind., opened the gymnasium at its Police Court Complex as a temporary shelter. A police Facebook post said the facility has “available space, clean restrooms, fans, and good airflow, providing a safe place for those in need. Please note that there is no air conditioning, unfortunately.”
Joe Brandonisio, owner of a winery in Maple Park, Ill., said he saw debris fly up and spin around. “I got down in the basement. I told the staff to get down there,” he told reporters. One of his workers tied himself to a water trailer to keep from being blown away, Brandonisio said.
The storms are the latest in a series of severe weather events to hit the Midwest this spring. Similar systems in recent weeks have caused damage in Illinois, Indiana, and neighboring states.