Kankakee County residents still recovering 2 months after deadly tornado leaves devastating damage

KANKAKEE, Ill. (WLS) -- Two months later, visual reminders are everywhere of the deadly tornado that tore through Kankakee County.

One person was killed in Aroma Park, where widespread damage remains, but so does a community desire to rebuild.

The devastation practically tells the whole story after the tornado ripped through the town, leaving many displaced. Some are still waiting to rebuild for their homes, with others choosing to move for good. They continue wait for contractors help and answers from insurance.

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Mattresses, toys and many other belongings still linger among the debris on the properties where people's homes once stood in Aroma Park.

It was one of the towns ravaged by an EF-3 tornado in March, killing one person, while similar damage was seen in Lake Village, Indiana, where two others died.

"It's unbelievable just the devastation," Aroma Park resident Roger Forbes said.

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Forbes has lived in Aroma Park for more than 40 years. He feels like one of the lucky ones, as much of his home is still intact, but his roof still needs major repairs. Like many of his neighbors, he's still waiting for a visit from his contractors.

"It's goin pretty well, but they're all so busy, the insurance companies, the people doing the work," Forbes said.

Just a few houses down, other homeowners were not as fortunate, with roofs still collapsed and debris scattered everywhere.

Forbes says a handful of his neighbors have decided to just move elsewhere.

"Couple of my friends down the street there they lost everything, everything personal, nothing left," Forbes said. "Just unbelievable."

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Other homeowners are making significant progress, like Chuck Mathis, who has already replaced his roof and some other parts of the home. He has a hefty cost, already surpassing $45,000, with more work still needed.

"I just feel darn lucky I'm still alive, because that was nasty," Mathis said. "I've been through some rough things in my life, but that was enough to scare me."

Aroma Park Mayor Brian Stump says they did not meet the threshold for federal or state funding. He says it's a day-by-day effort from the whole community, trying to get back to normalcy.

"It's been amazing, from day one it's neighbors helping neighbors," Stump said. "We've had people come from all over the place, not just the county, but the whole state."

Some of the homeowners say it still could take months before contractors visit their homes, and again, others are just deciding to not come back, but all of them are just relying on each other to continue moving forward.