April 9 was 5-year anniversary of EF4 tornado near Rochelle

OGLE COUNTY — Thursday, April 9 marked the five-year anniversary of an EF4 tornado with 200 mph winds that damaged 179 structures and demolished 30 homes in eastern Ogle County near Rochelle.

The tornado first touched down in Lee County west of Ashton before destroying most of its 30 homes in a subdivision northwest of Flagg Center. The twister then cut a northeasterly path through Ogle County to the small DeKalb County village of Fairdale where two women were killed and most homes devastated.

Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle owned one of the homes that were destroyed near Rochelle and also headed up most of the first responders that day.

“From my perspective, I think people take severe weather more seriously,” VanVickle said. “It was significant. We heard quite a bit that they don’t happen here prior to that and people were shown it isn’t the case.”

Ogle County saw an EF1 tornado last week and VanVickle said residents and first responders were vigilant and aware of the danger of it.

VanVickle said the county was prepared for the 2015 tornado, but he noticed some deficiencies in communication that could be improved. Those efforts have been made since.

“We’ve tried to improve that through things like social media and our smartphone app,” VanVickle said.

Hundreds of volunteers poured into the area in April 2015 to lend their time and expertise to help victims sift through wreckage and clean up debris.

Only a handful of county residents suffered only minor injuries due to the tornado.

“It’s devastating,” VanVickle said at a press conference back in 2015. “My house is gone.”

VanVickle’s family was not at home when the storm struck shortly after 6:30 p.m. Thursday. His family dog escaped from the rubble.

“It definitely changed the family dynamic for us,” VanVickle said. “It brought us closer together. It does change you. The biggest thing was taking care of the kids. It was traumatic for them.”