South Central Reporter

In a recent Facebook post, Illinois state Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) shared his visits to three storm-damaged communities.

"I visited Sherman, Riverton, and Dawson this afternoon to see the storm damage," he said in the post. "If you have been affected by the storm and need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my offices."

WLS reported on April 3 that there were 22 different tornadoes confirmed across the state of Illinois over the previous weekend.

A National Weather Service tweet on April 3 confirmed more than a dozen tornadoes in the region.

"A total of 16 tornadoes have been confirmed in our forecast area so far, and damage surveys will continue in various locations today," the tweet said. The NWS listed the confirmed locations, which included Southwest Lee County (EF-1); Montgomery to Aurora (EF-0); Plainfield (EF-0); Merrillville to Hobart (EF-1); Baileyville (rating TBD); Amboy (EF-2); West Brooklyn (EF-1); Davis Junction to Belvidere (EF-1); Machesney Park (EF-1); Caledonia/Poplar Grove (rating TBD); Wellington (EF-1); Lombard to Addison (EF-1); Stockland (EF-1); Oxford, Ind. (EF-2); Fowler, Ind. (EF-2); and Remington, Ind. (EF-1). 

As a result of the dangerous weather, the roof of the Apollo Theater collapsed in Belvidere on March 31, killing one man and injuring dozens more; a Variety report said. There were approximately 260 individuals inside the venue for “The United States of Terror” concert tour. The tour was headlined by four heavy metal bands: Crypta, Revocation, Skeletal Remains and Morbid Angel.

More than 40 people were hospitalized after the collapse, Variety said. One man was killed and five others were injured severely. Crypta and Morbid Angel said no members suffered serious injuries.

Trent Ford, a state climatologist, described the tornado outbreak as severe, WLS reported.

"April tends to be one of the more frequent months for tornadoes," he said. "On average, we get about eight to nine in the state of Illinois. So, getting 20 to 25 tornadoes in a single day, even by April standards is severe."

Nine states were hit by the tornado outbreak, killing dozens of people, the WLS report said.