2 dead after tornadoes in Kankakee, Illinois and Northwest Indiana overnight; NWS confirms 2 tornadoes

Two people died after tornadoes touched down across Illinois and Northwest Indiana during severe storms on Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

So far, the NWS has confirmed two tornadoes, one near Wheatfield, Indiana, with peak winds reaching 110 mph just south of Wheatfield, which is EF-1 intensity. The second in Aroma Park in northwest Indiana, with peak winds there reaching near 150 mph, which is an EF-3 intensity.

Multiple suspected tornadoes are being investigated by the NWS as crews continue to survey damage in areas near Kankakee, Illinois, Aroma Park, Illinois and Lake Village, Indiana. 

The suspected tornadoes stemmed from the same supercell, the NWS said, which tracked from Pontiac, Illinois, to Wheatfield, Indiana, and continued toward Knox, Indiana. The touchdowns were reported in Pontiac, Illinois; Lake Village, Indiana; and Wheatfield, Indiana. 

Officials also said the supercell from the tornadoes produced hail ranging in size from 2 to 4 inches in diameter from Pontiac to the Illinois/Indiana state line. A 6-inch diameter hailstone that fell in Kankakee may have set a new Illinois record.

A separate supercell produced giant hail from Bolingbrook to Darien, Illinois, with hailstones measuring 3 to 4 inches in diameter, according to the NWS. The largest hailstone from this supercell was 4.8 inches in Darien.

The NWS deployed survey crews to Kankakee County in Illinois and Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana.  

2 killed by suspected tornadoes in Northwest Indiana 

Indiana officials confirmed two fatalities and multiple people injured in Lake Village, Indiana, after storms hit the area. Officials said Lake Village was "decimated" by the tornado, which carved a path of destruction 45 to 50 miles long.

Newton County, Indiana, Sheriff Shannon Cothran said the people who died were an elderly man and woman from the same family. They have since been identified as 89-year-old Ed Kozlowski and his wife, 86-year-old Arlene Kozlowski.

The family said they were in the process of planning Ed's 90th birthday at the home the couple had lived in for years. Everything the couple built is now gone.

Ten other people were also confirmed hurt, according to Indiana State Police.

Lake Village was left with extensive damage that crews are just starting to work to clear. Officials said the homes of four local firefighters in Lake Village were among the damaged properties. 

Extensive damage was also caused to the electrical system, impacting 2,500 customers in Lake Village and the surrounding areas. The storm downed 70 electrical poles, making it dangerous to travel around the area.  

Fire departments in Newton County started their second search and rescue on Wednesday morning. 

Storm damage to fences impacted animal owners in the rural area, leaving farmland open. Donkeys and goats in the area were let out of their restricted areas during the storm. They have since been located, neighbors confirmed. 

North Newton High School in Lake Village, Indiana, is serving as an emergency shelter for anyone displaced by the storm. Officials said the Red Cross will be assisting at the site. The Lake Village Fire Department is also serving as a rallying point. 

The Indiana State Police was also deployed in the area to assess damage and offer assistance. Residents of the Lake Village area were advised to stay home if possible on Wednesday.

"We understand the human curiosity, but we ask that they also understand that their presence going out to be curious also hinders the response and mobility of the responders," Cothran said.

State police said everyone is accounted for following Wednesday's search and rescue.

Following the devastating storms, the community stepped up for one another on Wednesday night, with people lined up with donations by the truckload for those in need. Some of the donated items included water, toiletries, and pet food. 

Christa Manthe, who lives in a neighboring town, stopped by with her family--- and said she wanted to help.

"They needed toiletries, so we did toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo ... " she said. "People should rally when things like this happen.'

"The outpouring of support has been heartwarming," Cothran said. 

Newton County officials confirmed on Wednesday that more than 100 homes were damaged in Tuesday's storms, with more than 30 destroyed.

The Newton County Sheriff and the state police are also investigating claims that the tornado warning system or siren did not sound as the storm was approaching.     

Kankakee County issues state of emergency after EF-3 tornado hits Aroma Park

Back in Illinois, Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said the county declared a state of emergency due to the severity of the damage from the storm. It was confirmed on Wednesday that an EF-3 tornado hit Aroma Park with winds near 150 mph.

The sheriff confirmed at least seven people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and no one died or was seriously hurt in the storms there.

Downey said shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday, rotation was observed just northwest of Shebance, Illinois, and a tornado went on to touch down around the Kankakee County Fairgrounds.

The tornado traveled toward the Kankakee Public Safety Center and the Jerome Combs Detention Center. Downey said both were damaged, "although minimally, all things considered." 

Aroma Park residents in Kankakee County woke up to the most severe damage in the area. 

Kankakee County officials said the area around the South Kankakee exit suffered the most severe damage. Officials said the tornado continued toward Kankakee Community College, where it crossed the river and into Aroma Park. 

The view from CBS Skywatch provided a wider vantage point of the path this tornado took.

An Aroma Park resident said the suspect tornado demolished her barn. 

"We had a big barn. We also got a solar farm out here in the field, and it's just demolished," She said. 

Another Aroma Park resident said he got inside and took shelter with his family when the hail started. 

"The force of the wind was just absolutely unbelievable, and that hail hit our roof, and it sounded like we were getting it with bombs," the resident said. 

Carries Johnson said she was sheltered elsewhere when the tornado hit her home.

"I was sheltered down at the Ricky Rockets truck stop gas station. Just the timing was good, so I was in the bathroom there," she said.

When she returned, the destruction was shocking.

"My son came last night and told me there's a boat in the middle of the house," she said.

A boat sits in the middle of her living room—a mattress blew into a downed tree.. one that's not hers—and came from another nearby home.

"I can't walk around the house because there's so much debris."

Despite the damage, she says there's one big reason to be grateful.

"Nobody was here for this … so we're grateful," she said.

Another resident who has been living in Aroma Park with his wife for nearly 30 years said he survived by sheltering in a small pocket inside his home as it collapsed around him, trapping him under the wreckage.

"I was able to go in a utility room that was enclosed, and pretty much it caved in, just caved in on me … but I was in a perfect spot where I was in a hole in a pocket, and my whole kitchen kinda landed on top of where I was," Bob said.

Fortunately, he wasn't pinned, he said, so he started digging myself out, and about a half hour later, he heard someone call his name. Help came from people who know him best- his brother, a neighbor, and his nephew.

"The three of them got me out. It took about an hour, I was down there. Every time we'd move something, the rest of it would cave in," he said.

His wife, Margaret, fought back tears after their home collapsed trapping her husband. She said she got a call while working an extra shift at the hospital. 

I'm in the hall with the patients, and my phone ring,s and I'm like, 'wait a minute. So, I answered the phone, and he said, 'Our home was just hit by a tornado, and I'm trapped inside,'" she said.     

She said she believed if she hadn't taken the extra shift, she would not have survived. 

"There was a reason nobody could work for me," she said.

Now, like other residents in the area, Bob said what's next is figuring out how to start over. He said the community is usually quiet, but following the destructive storms, he's seen neighbors checking on each other, some connecting for the first time.

All of Kankakee School District 111 schools were closed on Wednesday due to "widespread storm impacts, including power outages and damage."

In addition to District 111, Kankakee Community College's Riverfront campus and manufacturing and industrial technology center, along with its north and south extension centers, were also closed.  There was no word as of Wednesday night if they planned to reopen on Thursday.

While the realization of the devastation is still setting in for so many, most said they intend to rebuild, but know it will take a long time.