Cleanup efforts begin after tornados hammer Chicago area and Northwest Indiana

A tornado outbreak pounded the Chicago area on Thursday evening, with multiple twisters reported, leaving behind an extensive trail of damage stretching from the western suburbs to northwest Indiana.

Streator, Illinois, roughly 80 miles southwest of Chicago, was hit by a destructive tornado that left behind absolute destruction, with multiple houses destroyed, and debris spread across the city.

Powerful winds crushed house after house in the southern part of Streator. Power poles were snapped and transformers thrown to the ground. Cars were tossed from where they were parked, and roofs were ripped off homes.

Haley Cooks and her family said, despite the damage to their home, they are physically okay and so are their horses that were outside as the tornado ripped through.

Cooks' roof and fence were hit hard. She rode out the storm with her two kids in her car inside the garage.

"I felt my ears pop as if you were in an airplane starting your descent. I've never been in a tornado, so I was freaking out, but internally trying to keep it calm and cool for my kids. It was scary," she said.

Across town, Brenda Krasnican said her mother and son were home in Streator at the time of the storm.

"I called and I said, 'Hey, you and grandma need to get in the closet and take cover. It's going to come across the carriage lanes, which is right behind.' And I no sooner hung up the phone and about 15 minutes later, his buddy called and he said, 'Grandma's house is leveled,'" she said.

What went through her mind when she first arrived to see the damage?

"My mom. 'Where's my mom?' That's all I wanted was my mom. Yeah," she said.

Now what's left is a destroyed home and debris spread across the property. Thankfully no one was hurt.

First responders have been busy digging through the destruction. For residents like Krasnican, there's comfort knowing their loved ones survived without harm.

Storms also left a path of destruction along Route 59 in northwest suburban Bartlett, where there was a confirmed tornado.

At one gas station on Route 59, every gas pump was knocked down. Debris from that gas station ended up in the parking lot of a Wendy's across the street.

Trees, light poles, and street signs also were knocked down. Employees inside the Wendy's described the sound they heard as the storm ripped through.

"I was in the bathroom, and out of nowhere, you just hear a gust of wind, and then it grows stronger and stronger and stronger, and then out of nowhere, you just hear booms, and everything breaks. The store vibrating, and then you get out, you really see the tornado from the window coming this way, and you could hear the branch fall," Jaden Cordero said. "We were in the tornado."

Northwest Indiana was not spared from the wrath of Mother Nature, with reports of a tornado hitting Merrillville, causing severe damage.

"Lots and lots of damage; power outages, trees down, fences down. It's a warzone," said Merrillville resident Billy Navarro.

The storm knocked down multiple power lines, and tore the tops off several trees, leaving limbs and other debris scattered all over, blocking major intersections. Roofs also were ripped off several buildings, including Andrean High School.

NIPSCO had to shut off power to most of the city on Thursday night.