Jesse Garcia stood in the section of his home where a stone fireplace once dominated the room.

Less than 24 hours after Tuesday’s tornado ripped apart his 2,200-square-foot house, he was only left to push his shoes into the puddled water now collecting inside his home.

Standing in the area where a sizable portion of his once two-story Shaftsbury Road home provided relaxation and comfort, this day brought emotion to the surface.

“As you can now see, this home features plenty of natural light,” he said in an attempt to lighten the grim mood.

While the insurance adjuster had not yet met with Jesse and his wife, Kendahl, the couple said they know what the verdict will be.

The structure will be a complete loss. Like the dozens of neighboring properties in this Aroma Township subdivision, the three-bedroom house this couple immediately fell in love with four years ago is lost.

Garcia’s voice began to crack. Tears filled the eyes of the 52 year old. It was almost too much to bear.

“This will not break us,” he said as his voice quivered. “We will pull through.”

He paused as he scraped at the floor with his boots. “We will pick up the pieces.”

Pieces of their life, he meant, not of the house.

Kendahl was alone when the tornado came roaring through Aroma Township after it left a path of destruction in Kankakee.

A truck driver, Garcia was still on the road. He was tuned into the radio as he heard the news, which shook him to his core: Aroma Park was hit.

Kendahl had stationed herself in the basement. She shook. She confessed to being afraid of storms. In her world, Tuesday’s storm could have been characterized as a storm on steroids.

“My ears popped and then I heard it all,” she recounted.

In the blink of an eye, the once treasured home was ruined. Grateful to be unharmed – at least physically – she eventually made her way up the stairs. Once she opened the basement door, her jaw could have joined the rubble at her feet.

Whether it be the aftershock of the tornado or memories too fresh to grasp, the couple said their plans to remain in Aroma Township are dashed.

The goal is to have the property cleared and a house rebuilt. Then it will be put up for sale, Kendahl, 43, said.

It will be difficult to say goodbye, however, to their house at the end of the street.

“We loved this house. That’s what brought us here,” he said. He recalled the house was up for sale for a grand total of one day. They walked through it and each room they entered they fell a little more in love with the dwelling.

“We put in the offer and we got it,” he said of those better days.

He again paused.

“You never expect having to live through something like this, but I’m glad we did,” he said, meaning lived through it.

Down the street

Only a short walk from the Garcia house stands the two-story home owned by Logan and Amy Andersen.

At least a few days ago it was a two-story home.

Sometime between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Logan, a Detective Sergeant with the Kankakee Police Department, stood on the porch watching the menacing sky.

Fried chicken was being cooked on the stove. The tornado siren was activated. Andersen, 46, continued looking out the window as his wife and daughter sought shelter in the basement.

“I thought it was just another storm.” He was wrong.

He couldn’t watch anymore as he came to realize this wasn’t just another storm.

Like hundreds of others will recall as they share their stories, in a matter of seconds their house was ravaged.

An insurance representative was giving Andersen’s house an examination. The insurance adjuster called him over to discuss her findings. She explained. He listened.

The words cut like a knife. The house was a complete loss. He recognized that prior to her verification.

“It’s not hard to believe. I’m not surprised. I thought that,” he said.

A friend helped him move valuables to a storage unit or onto a truck.

Temporary shelter was the next task. They will take residence there for at the least the next one to two years. This certainly was not the plan for this 1998 graduate of Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School.

He said the plan is to rebuild. A tornado will not dictate the path of the Andersens.

“We can rebuild it the way we want it,” he said as he found a ray of light. “But it will be a single level.” No more second floor to lose.

The location is only seven minutes from the Kankakee Police Department.

A man who is known for his willingness to help others, Andersen said he must focus on his family, on himself, now.

He tried to hold back the rising tide of his emotions. Just like the tornado, he couldn’t stop his tears either.

“I’ve spent so much time helping other people at work; now I have to concentrate on me. That’s why I got into this job – helping others."

In Oakwoods subdivision

Back in the Oakwoods subdivision along Waldron Road, damage was immediately apparent. More trees seemed to lie snapped or uprooted than remained standing. Missing roofs and mailboxes were more common than complete houses.

“I don’t even know where to start,” said Emily LaVoie, standing in her front yard observing the damage done to her home on Elmwood Drive, where she lives with her husband, Bourbonnais Police Sgt. Dave Herberger.

Among the building material debris, the yard is littered with belongings, from her bicycle to clothing and the contents of their garage and game room, which are no longer covered by a roof.

The couple had recently completed extensive remodeling to their home, which featured views of the Kankakee River. Something, the couple said, they cherished about their location.

As the tree trimming services made their way through the neighborhood, so did fellow residents checking on each other and offering to lend a hand, a hug, or a chainsaw.

Scott and Debbie Rattin, of Martinton, walked with their grandsons down Elmwood Drive Wednesday morning as cleanup was underway.

The couple said they were on the phone with their daughter and son-in-law, Nicole and Tom Ascher, and the boys as the tornado passed over the Ascher’s Oakwood Drive home while they took cover in a closet.

“All we could think to do was pray together,” Scott said. “We were just praying.”

“My grandson was yelling Jesus’ name … it was scary,” Debbie added. “This [damage] is all devastating, but everyone is alive.”

Along S.E. Marquette Lane

Connie Orozco, 62, stood outside her front door at 182 S.E. Marquette Lane. She was not unlike others. Her house cannot be lived in.

The place she’s called home for eight years is ruined. The roof literally blew off.

An insurance adjuster has looked the property over. As of late this week, she had not heard what the results were.

Her life is spinning right now, but she is certain of one thing. She loved her Marquette Lane home.

And she is thankful her family was not harmed.

“I didn’t think the storm would be this bad,” she said. It’s likely no one could have anticipated these type of results.

As for her immediate future, she and her family will likely reside with her son. She is well aware things could be much worse. She tries to keep it in perspective.

A three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot house can be replaced. Lives cannot.

“It’s amazing what can happen in the matter of a seconds. It really is.”

Tiffany Blanchette contributed to this story.