Less than two days after an EF-3 tornado tore through Naperville, the suburban Chicago city has received so much support that it stopped taking names of those who want to help clean up damage.
"Due to the tremendous outpouring of support from the community, the City of Naperville is no longer taking names of individuals wanting to participate in volunteer clean-up and relief opportunities," the city said in a statement.
Names of people who already offered to help have been passed on to the Red Cross, according to Naperville officials. Good Shepherd Church, 1310 Shepherd Dr., in Naperville is accepting information for volunteers via their care teams.
Those still wishing to help, outside of volunteering, are encouraged to make monetary donations through the Red Cross.
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Food donations also are being accepted to local pantries, including Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry, 1871 High Grove Lane, in Naperville and West Suburban Food Pantry, 6809 Hobson Valley Dr. Ste 118, in Woodridge. Donations of shelf stable foods, pet food, diapers and baby wipes are being accepted.
At least eight people were injured in Naperville and more than 20 homes were left uninhabitable after the radar-confirmed tornado tore through the city.
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Based on an initial damage assessment of the tornado, the National Weather Service estimates the twister was an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, packing wind speeds of nearly 140 miles per hour.
The NWS conducted a damage survey of the area on Monday morning after the tornado struck the area. According to the service, the tornado touched down near Naperville just after 11 p.m. Sunday and ended near Willow Springs.
The team has surveyed damage in Naperville and Woodridge, and will work its way through Darien, Burr Ridge and Willow Springs in coming days.
The damage the team surveyed was “consistent with wind speeds corresponding” to an EF-1 or EF-2 tornado, but one pocket of damage, located near Princeton Circle in Naperville, is consistent with EF-3 rating, indicating that the twister was packing wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale, which was brought into use in 2007, uses estimated wind gusts in three-second increments to determine the strength and power of a tornado.
All estimates are preliminary, and additional information about the path, length and width of the tornado will be accrued in coming days as the surveying crew continues its work.
