Video shows moment when tornado plowed through Naperville strip mall this past weekend
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- New surveillance video shows a tornado flinging around plywood and pieces of buildings like toys in Naperville.
AS CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, many business owners at the strip mall on the northeast corner of Route 59 and 95th Street consider themselves lucky. Most were not there as the new surveillance video picked up some intense moments from the twister early Saturday morning.
The video from inside the Precious Fine Jewelry store shows it took less than 20 seconds for the tornado to rip through the strip mall at 5:40 a.m. Sunday.
A heavy piece of plywood and other large debris were toppled and jostled as if they were weightless.
The National Weather Service clocked winds at 85 mph – a tornado's lowest rating at EF0.
"We can't play with nature," said Sandhya Phargava, who manages a learning center in the same strip mall. "Our glass is broken here in the front."
Many of the shops like Phargava's took the brunt of the damage. A large box of books outside her business vanished.
"No, not even a trace of a single book," Phargava said. "It was really heavy - more than 30, 40 books."
Doors down, a woman named Leah did not want to show her face as she worked to clean her music shop – which had some of the worst damage.
"Oh my gosh, it was like a lake," she said.
Dehumidifiers were running as floors dried out. Carpets, drywall, and lights will all have to be replaced.
Meanwhile, the awning that ripped off Leah's storefront is now across the street.
"But that's okay - nobody was hurt," she said. "Nobody was in here when it happened."
Nor were there any injuries from the other two tornadoes the National Weather Service hit on Saturday – one in Romeoville, the other near Manhattan, Will County.
But video of the strong winds and damage left behind are reminders of just how serious Mother Nature's wrath can be.
On Monday, many business owners were starting the sometimes-lengthy process of working with insurance companies to fix damage. The City of Naperville is also still picking up tree debris.
