Fairdale residents, volunteers try to pick up pieces

FAIRDALE – When Clarence “Clem” Schultz looked out the window Thursday night, he thought the storm would head the opposite direction, so he went upstairs to grab a lantern for him and his wife, Geraldine, in case of power outages.

But the tornado didn’t head the opposite direction, it slammed right into the Schultz residence, and into the rest of the unincorporated town of Fairdale.

“I heard this terrible noise, and I figured this house has been around for 175 years, it’s probably seen worse storms than this,” Schultz, 84, said. “About that time, I felt the house quiver. Then I felt the house move a few inches under my feet. My wife was still in the kitchen. I hung on, and I saw all this terrible [debris] flying around. I saw my dog run through the backyard.”

It only lasted a minute, if that, Schulz said. When it was over, he was buried up to his knees in rubble. He could hear a propane tank hissing in the background. He dug himself free with the help of a neighbor, who told him not to look down.

“I said, ‘Why not?’ He says, ‘Because Geri is under there, and she’s dead,’ “ Schultz said. “I felt her wrist, feeling for her pulse. There was no pulse. [My neighbor] said ‘Now we got to get you out of here, because you might burn up. There’s nothing you can do for her.’ “

Schulz recalled his wife as being “tall, very powerful and assertive.” She worked with Section 8 housing in Carpentersville.

“She had to be tough,” Schultz said. “She’s the one who took them to court and evicted them for being bad boys.”

Geraldine Schultz was 67. She was one of two people who lost their lives when an EF4 tornado leveled parts of the rural community of Fairdale with 180 to 200 mph winds. Jacklyn K. Klosa, 69, of Fairdale also was killed when the tornado hit her home, where she was taking shelter in a bathroom. Eleven others were injured, authorities said.

Healing and recovery for Schultz and the rest of the 150-some residents of Fairdale continued into Sunday, as residents, their families and friends, officials throughout DeKalb County, and other volunteers searched for fragments of their lives amid the wreckage.

Sheriff Roger Scott said he expected ComEd would replace downed electrical poles today and restore power to Fairdale no later than Tuesday.

“That is one of the major priorities,” Scott said. “Even with that, it will be limited to the houses that will be able to have power. There’s not a lot of things left in most of the areas.”

DeKalb County officials will continue to inspect the houses Monday, as well, and tag the houses and the areas where it is safe to restore electricity.

Kirkland Fire Chief Chad Connell said donations would not be accepted any more after Sunday.

“We could no longer accept the stuff just because of the magnitude of what’s there,” Connell said during a news conference. “It’s been pleasantly overwhelming.”

On Sunday, Scott also said that a pet monkey that was inside one of the houses had died at some point Saturday, but the reason was unknown. He said the residents did have the proper permit to keep the monkey as a pet.

The ruins of Fairdale on Sunday bustled with volunteers and residents digging through the rubble, and should continue despite rain in the forecast. Everyone on the scene wore gloves as they handled debris. Heavy machinery helped dig through the deeper piles of splintered wood, walls and home decor.

The community is making “significant progress,” Scott said.

“Their courage is amazing,” he said. “It’s a difficult time for them in many ways.”

At one point, cheers of joy and excitement rang out through the community. Geanelle Nelson and the rest of her family had found an invaluable family treasure: Her great-grandmother’s griddle, which was passed down to her mother, Irene Clay.

“Anyone comes to town, they call her up and say, ‘Hey, you gotta make Swedish pancakes,’ “ Nelson said. “It’s been in the family for a long time. We’ve all made Swedish pancakes, [but] they never come out like Mom’s. So, we’ve come to decide it’s the pan they’re actually on. Best griddle ever.”

She said it was one of the two most important things the family wanted to find, next to her brother-in-law Ron Hopper’s pants, which contained his ID. Hopper was on the scene, wearing donated clothes, and digging through his home just off Brown Street.

He pointed to where he, his wife and Clay, his mother-in-law, had taken refuge in the basement Thursday, which now was just open space. Inside was a blood-splattered brick that Hopper says hit his wife, requiring her to go to the hospital for treatment.

Hopper said the family’s not sure if the they will rebuild the house occupied by the three who were in the residence at the time of the tornado.

“All [Clay] said is ‘I don’t think so,’ “ Hopper said. “She’s not going to get enough money out of this to rebuild around here.”

Workers from D. Ryan Tree and Landscaping Services LLC and Midwest Tree Service, both based in DeKalb, have been in Fairdale since the tornado struck Thursday, removing trees that had landed on top of houses and blocked roadways to allow residents safe access to their homes. About 7,000 yards of wood chips have been collected since, 2,000 of which were collected Sunday alone, D. Ryan owner and certified arborist DaRin Ryan said.

“We got all the hazardous material off the roads and around the houses that we can see at this point,” he said, adding that the collected tree and wood chips would be recycled.

Overall, morale seemed to be on the upswing Sunday despite the tragedy. Volunteers worked together to uncover what they could, and the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and insurance companies made rounds to assist where they could.

Lutheran Church Charities, based in Addison, was on hand as well with comfort dogs Sunday, walking golden retrievers and other friendly dogs throughout the site for residents and those affected to pet and play with, which some residents did.

Schultz, who had his fair share of bruises from the wreckage, found his dog, a white German Shepherd named Missy, on Saturday. He took a break from sifting through the remains of his house Sunday because his back hurt, he said.

He said his wife was good friends with Klosa, the other victim in the disaster.

“They had each other’s back no matter what,” Schultz said. “Jackie lost her driver’s license for a while because of a medical condition, so Geri was driving her all over. Geri won’t ride in a car. She’s the world’s worst passenger, I always kidded her. I let her drive because when she’s in the car, she embarrasses me with her head hanging out the window and her ears flapping in the breeze.”

He said he plans to one day rebuild on his property, but for now, he’s too focused on living.

“I’m too young to die,” Schultz said. “I’m only 84.”