Severe weather leaves widespread damage in Central Illinois, cause travel delays at Chicago airports
Severe weather brought high winds, dense fog, and heavy rains on Sunday, causing damage across Illinois and massive travel delays at Chicago airports.
Downstate first responders are working with residents who have suffered severe damage to their homes, and now there is another concern still ahead.
The Macon County Sheriff's Office staff said up to a dozen homes were destroyed in Long Creek, Illinois, east of Springfield — damaged by fallen trees and the roofs ripped off.
"I know these people, so to actually get on scene thinking it's going to be just some power lines that are down and maybe a tree down or something like that, turned out that we have people that are losing their homes tonight," said Macon County Sheriff's Lieutenant Scott Flannery.
Video captured multiple people running toward first responders. Debris was scattered all around after a reported tornado hit nearby Mount Zion.
The power of the storm snapped wood in half, driven into the ground, sticking up like a spike.
"I heard the hail first, then I heard the wind," Tina said.
Tina, a Livingston County resident, said severe storms caused damage in her neighborhood, with some of the most dramatic destruction at the nearby junior high school.
"We are in the process of step one of many of trying to figure out what we need to do to make sure that our building is safe for staff and students," said Brian Quam, superintendent of Prairie Schools.
Winds peeled away the roof, leaving behind a massive hole and rain damage inside their gymnasium
"I think a lot of times you always prepare for the unknown, but thankfully, in these situations, the building was empty on a Sunday afternoon, and hopefully everyone in town was also safe," Quam said.
In Pontiac -- cameras caught damage to several homes, with the roof seemingly ripped off one, and trees and power lines down.
When it comes to the Illinois residents whose homes were damaged in Sunday's storms, first responders said they're now worried about another weather complication, dropping temperatures.
They're making sure those residents have somewhere warm with power to spend the night.
Severe weather impacts Chicago airports
The weather is also to blame for nearly 100 flight cancellations at O'Hare Airport and some significant delays on Sunday amid holiday travel.
At Midway, heavy fog earlier caused problems for morning fliers — not ideal as passengers tried to travel for the tail end of this holiday weekend.
Big crowds coming through Terminal 1 at O'Hare, too. Arriving passengers reported some mid-air delays while departing flights patiently wait for their turn.
"They said the weather was bad, and they were limiting the planes coming in and that we would have to circle until they let us down," said Suzanne Gentry, who was visiting from Tampa, Florida.
"Right now, I don't feel anything because I'm just too tired and too sleepy. That's why," Emine Turkman, who was flying to Turkey.
TSA expected Sunday to have the heaviest traveler volume for the weekend, expecting about 2.86 million people to pass through the nation's security checkpoints.