Small town Illinois: Lost in a tornado

Photos: With winds of up to 200 mph, very little remains.

On Thursday, April 9, several tornados swept through Iowa, Illinois and Ohio. The small town of Fairfield, IL, population 150, was the hardest hit. Two elderly women died, more than 30 homes were destroyed in the region and a horse was also been reported to have died.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner declared DeKalb and Ogle Counties disaster areas, which will receive immediate resources.

“Our hearts and thoughts go out to those impacted by yesterday’s storms,” said Gov. Rauner. “The State will do everything it can to help these families and communities recover and heal, while providing response resources.”

Rochelle resident, Stephanie Sego Curtis, uploaded the video below on Facebook as the tornado swept through her neighborhood. It’s been viewed closed to 3 million times to date. She was not in the path of the tornado.

Surveilling the damage:

Stefanie and Matthew Hurley look at the wreckage on the IL-72 with their family after a tornado came through the town earlier in the day on April 9, 2015 in Fairdale, Illinois. (Jon Durr/Getty)

Crews search wreckage on the IL-72 after a tornado came through the town earlier in the day on April 9, 2015 in Fairdale, Illinois. (Jon Durr/Getty)

Crews search through the town for unaccounted people the morning after a tornado swept through the town on April 10, 2015 in Fairdale, Illinois. (Jon Durr/Getty)

L-R: The restaurant Grubstakers was damaged by a tornado the previous night, on April 10, 2015 in Rochelle, Illinois. Candy Trudell looks through the wreckage of her home on IL-64 after a tornado swept through the previous night on April 10, 2015 in Rochelle, Illinois. (Jon Durr/Getty)

A semi was knocked on its side while parked behind the restaurant Grubstakers on IL-64 after a tornado came through the previous night, on April 10, 2015 in Rochelle, Illinois.

L-R: Houses and property in ruin the morning after a tornado swept through the town the previous day on April 10, 2015 in Fairdale, Illinois. Kirkland Fire Department Chief Connel speaks to the media after a tornado swept through the down the previous day on April 10, 2015 in Fairdale, Illinois. (Jon Durr/Getty)

Houses and property in ruin the morning after a tornado swept through the town the previous day on April 10, 2015 in Fairdale, Illinois. (Jon Durr/Getty)

L-R: Wreckage on IL-64 after a tornado came through the previous night, on April 10, 2015 in Rochelle, Illinois. Michael West surveys the damage of his mother’s home on IL-64 after a tornado swept through the night before, on April 10, 2015 in Rochelle, Illinois. (Jon Durr/Getty)

Another video by nearby resident captures power of tornado.

Studies are currently being conducted to determine the full force, but meteorologist Ari Sarsalari with the Weather Channel tweeted preliminary results from the National Weather Service indicating the tornado that hit Fairfield was initially rated as an EF4, meaning it could have produced winds of up to 200 mph.

The Associated Press has also reported that some of the first responders at the scene also lost their own homes in the wake of the tornado.

It is truly humbling to see the power of a tornado in person. Everything is destroyed, but to see…