A storm chaser and video journalist traveled to Streator, Illinois for a severe weather outbreak and later found himself helping with a rescue in south Streator, as reported by CBS News Chicago.
The chaser, identified as Scott Lasker by CBS News Chicago, said he had been able to get close enough to film a huge tornado touchdown and believed the tornado was at least an EF-2 in strength and size.
While shooting damage in a neighborhood, Lasker said he heard a woman screaming for help about 100 yards away, and he ran toward the sound to find her husband trapped in the rubble of a leveled home.
Lasker said he gave the woman his camera so she could continue filming while he and others tried to lift a heavy door off the man’s leg, and then two police officers arrived and finished pulling the man from the debris.
Lasker described the scene as "very crazy stuff," and he said the man was bleeding and appeared to have some broken bones after the rescue, but Lasker believes the man will be OK; the man’s wife was reported to be OK.
Wider Outbreak And Damage Reports
As reported by CBS News Chicago, at least 10 reports of tornadoes were documented in Illinois during the same severe weather event, affecting areas largely in the far south and southwest suburbs of Chicago.
The article said a huge, slow moving severe weather front was causing major damage as it moved east, and the Streator incident was among the storm’s more visible impacts in LaSalle County and surrounding communities.
The account focuses on immediate rescue efforts and on-the-ground reporting, noting the role of a storm chaser who also recorded footage while aiding neighbors and coordinating with arriving police officers.
