Orland Officials Stress Safety Plans Following Woodridge Tornado

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park officials took time to stress the importance of having a weather safety plan in place during Monday night’s Board of Trustees meeting. The reminders come after Sunday night, when The National Weather Service confirmed a damaging tornado touched down in Woodridge just after 11 p.m.

During board comments, several trustees and Mayor Keith Pekau referenced the damage left behind in the areas of Woodridge, Naperville and Darien.

Trustee Cynthia Nelson Katsenes said she has a relative in Woodridge whose home was not damaged. Katsenes said that although the house was not damaged, many people were.

“Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers,” Katsenes said. “This is a good reminder to keep prepared during tornado season.”

Katsenes also added that Orland Park reached out to Woodridge to assist in any way they could, but needs were already met. She said that Orland Park was “standing ready.”

Trustee Sean Kampas said he prays those injured recover quickly, and others displaced from their homes find comfort after the calamity shook the area.

“Last night's storm developed quickly. We went directly into a warning status with minutes to prepare,” Kampas said, adding that this was the first time he has assisted in responding to emergency service disaster calls. “There's no substitute for preparedness.”

Kampas went on to say that the twister made him think about what he may be doing right and wrong in case of an emergency. Ideas the trustee mentioned to be prepared include taking the time to talk with family to establish an emergency plan and having enough food on hand in a basement in case one may be stuck there for a few days.

“In an emergency, one commodity you lose very quickly is time,” Kampas said. “You don't have time to look things up on your phone to acquire supplies or to ensure that everyone knows the plan, you must prepare.”

Echoing his colleagues, Trustee Brian Riordan said residents must be careful.

“Kids are out of school, be a little more careful,” Riordan said. “Enjoy yourself, get out there, but with summer comes some of those dangers as well.”

Trustee Joni Radaszewski also echoed the others by adding that often times people don’t think incidents like this will happen to them.

“I think we kind of take it for granted,” Radaszewski said. “We're not going to get hit by a tornado, and we don't have to worry about it until it happens to your neighbor, so it is important that we are cognizant of that and do some drills.”

Mayor Pekau said that the response on scene wasn’t the state, it was the local governments.

“It was the local municipalities that responded,” Pekau said. “We help take care of all the local municipalities, take care of helping each other -- and it's the local government that works. We all know the state is broken. Our local governments around us are not, and we work together to get things done.”

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