May 16, 2025

The EF-3 tornado just missed us. It touched down within a mile of the house and continued on for 23 miles into Illinois. Winds ranged from 85mph to over 150mph. Follow its path here.

Within minutes of the siren and emergency alert on my phone, the sky darkened, and it went from silent to whipping wind. Then came the golf ball sized hail and sideways rain. I was in the basement, hoping for the best. The TV flicked on then off. I thought it was the power, but the cable line had been pulled out of the transformer. Maybe 5-10 minutes after it started, the skies started too clear. Neighbors started exiting their homes. We assessed the damage. Power was out across the street and at my neighbors house. A large tree in their backyard took out a couple transformers. Luckily it didn’t hit their house, and we still had power.

The damage throughout the city was extensive. Forest Park will never be the same. Hundred year old trees had their tops sheared off or were uprooted. Homes had their roofs ripped off or walls torn out.

Clean up began immediately. We eventually had the power cut because the wires beneath the downed tree were hot. Crews worked quickly to replace the snapped power poles, and power was restored in 36hrs.

The Forest Park cleanup is ongoing. I’ll be heading over their Sunday, May 25 to help with cleanup.

Lots of people lost their homes.

The city has come together to help.