February 06, 2025
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Photos: Plainfield remembers 1990 tornado 30 years later

30 years ago, a tornado ripped through Plainfield and left a swath of destruction that is still remembered today.

By Eric Ginnard

Police and volunteers carry a body from a field near the Crest Hill Lakes apartments after a violent tornado tore through the complex in the afternoon of Aug. 28, 1990.

Police and volunteers carry a body from a field near the Crest Hill Lakes apartments after a violent tornado tore through the complex in the afternoon of Aug. 28, 1990.

An aerial photo shows Plainfield High School after the 1990 tornado.

Friends try to comfort a woman as they wait for word on those who survived the tornado that struck the Crest Hill Lakes apartments Aug. 28, 1990.

The Peerless and Lily Cache subdivisions in Plainfield, just south of Renwick Road, are destroyed by the Aug. 28,1990, tornado.

A woman fears her children are dead at the Crest Hill Lakes apartments after a tornado hit Aug. 28, 1990. When she arrived at the scene, she couldn't find her children, but a short time later friends told her they were safe.

A rescue worker walks through the devastation at Plainfield High School, which was hit by the tornado that spun through the village Aug. 28, 1990. Two fatalities were reported at the school and one nearby in the administration building.

Moments after the Aug. 28, 1990 tornado struck Crest Hill Lakes apartments, 19-year-old Keisha Caldwell carries 6-year-old Michelle Cantu through the debris of toppled buildings in search of Michelle's mother.

This aerial photo looking southeast shows the path of the Aug. 28,1990 tornado through Plainfield. In the foreground is Lockport Street, and in the top of center is St. Mary Immaculate Parish church.

A firefighter sifts through the wreckage of St Mary Immaculate Parish church in Plainfield after a strong tornado completely destroyed both the church and the school.

A map shows the tornado's destruction