Rogers Park

Free Trees Offered to Chicago Residents Impacted by 2020 Rogers Park Tornado

NBCUniversal, Inc.

Residents of Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood who were impacted by a tornado that touched down in the community last year are being offered free trees to replace those damaged by the storm.

In a newsletter sent out by 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden, an offer was made to provide free trees to tenants and owners who lost trees in their yards during the storm, which struck the area in Aug. 2020.

Hadden’s office is partnering with the Bureau of Forestry to identify locations where trees should be replaced. Homeowners and tenants are asked to only request new trees if they’re willing to care for them for the first three years they are in the ground.

“That care includes watering the tree, not laying down fertilizer, not pruning the tree, and making sure you don’t hit the tree with a lawnmower,” the newsletter read, in part.

Anyone interested in requesting a tree is encouraged to email Hadden’s office at office@49thward.org, or to call 773-338-5796. All callers and emailers will be asked to provide their home address.

According to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Paul Deanno, the tornado was just the sixth to touch down within Chicago city limits in the last 70 years. It was the first twister to touch down in the city since 2006, when a tornado struck near Loyola’s campus in Hyde Park.

The tornado was classified as an EF-1 tornado, which means it packed peak wind speeds of 110 miles per hour. The tornado traveled for approximately three miles before moving out over Lake Michigan, with a maximum width of 300 yards. The tornado briefly became a waterspout after moving over the lake, according to the National Weather Service.

Contact Us