As Emily LaVoie offers a tour of her Aroma Township home – or at least what remains of the 2,800-square-foot house situated on the banks of the Kankakee River – she notes what certain spaces once held.

LaVoie, 43, wife of Bourbonnais Police Sgt. Dave Herberger, walked inside the walls that were once the kitchen.

Several feet away and a couple of stair steps down was the rec room, or what many would now label a “man cave.”

The pool table remains, as do some of its former furnishings.

About four weeks ago, the couple took shelter in the basement shortly after 6 p.m. on March 10.

After the roar of the storm and the crashing of the house had ceased, the two walked up the basement steps.

What they witnessed was more than they could describe.

What they came to learn in the days that followed – after the initial shock had somewhat subsided – is that possessions are not what is front and center in their lives, but rather their lives, their happiness, their family, their friends.

Putting it bluntly, LaVoie survived.

“I’m happy to be alive,” she said as Dave nodded in agreement. “For a second there, you didn’t think you were going to survive.”

The bright sunshine of this midweek day bounced off her face.

She continued. “I used to enjoy storms. Now it’s so scary.”

Much has changed in LaVoie’s life. At the top of that list is her outlook on it.

The tornado has hammered home the concept that the excesses of life are not what is important.

She envisions a life a little more on the minimalist side. She said buying things just for the sake of purchasing something will be altered.

There will be fewer trips to Target and fewer at-home deliveries from Amazon.

“I also feel like my faith in humanity has been restored. People have been so generous. People have opened their homes to us,” she said.

She added they will spend the rest of their lives working to pay things forward. “The generosity we have received,” she said before pausing. “People just showed up for us. They said ‘we knew if we asked [if you needed help] you would say no.’”

The couple hopes that at least a portion of their home on Elmwood Drive can be saved. They plan to downsize some of the house property they purchased in August 2018.

It is part of their new view on life in the Oakwoods subdivision.

Herberger believes three exterior walls can be saved. The property’s west side, which was home to the garage and den, was destroyed.

Herberger estimates it will take upwards of 18 months to reconstruct the property. He is crossing his fingers that the process can begin this summer.

“This puts things in perspective,” he said. “This was all brand new. Once we start construction, it won’t bother me as much. But this is heartbreaking.”

As so many have recalled, the tornado’s visit to the house lasted no more than one to two minutes. The impact left in its wake, however, will last a lifetime.

When the couple walked up the basement stairs and into their living area, they were greeted by light – meaning the outdoors. At least half of the roof was gone, along with the west wall.

They are now living in a Bourbonnais apartment.

Herberger has latched onto at least one beacon of light. The house foundation remains solid.

He has something to build upon.

A neighborhood impacted

Only a walk across the street from LaVoie and Herberger’s home is 76-year-old Ted Danielson’s house.

His home was not nearly as impacted, but still experienced excessive damage.

Cameron Gerth, 35, walked around his property on Elmwood Drive, where his 2,000-square-foot home is situated.

At the rear of his lot was his parents’ home. The tornado leveled that house.

Cameron Gerth’s house also was greatly impacted. Like so many others, he counts his blessings that he and his wife, Meredith, and their son, Kolton, 12, survived.

Unlike many others, the Gerths can continue living in the dwelling, despite a third of it being ravaged.

“Mother Nature is crazy,” he said.

He then added: “I care a lot less about material things now. ... This gives you an entirely different perspective.”

During the storm, Gerth and his family huddled in the basement. Meredith led them in the “Our Father” prayer.

“We were so close to this being an entirely different story,” he said.

He also said the family has no intention of abandoning this property.

“We love this neighborhood. It’s quiet. We love our neighbors.”

Shannon Anderson and his wife are only a stone’s throw away from the Gerths and LaVoie and Herberger. Unlike his neighbors, however, the Anderson house is gone. Completely gone.

Demolition crews demolished and removed what remained of the house. The nine-year Momence schools superintendent also vows to stay.

He said he and his wife have found a rental property in Chebanse. He said they intend to rebuild their 2,000-square-foot, mid-century modern home, which he called their “forever house.”

“We are planning on rebuilding. Definitely,” he said.

The episode, he noted, could only be explained as traumatic. But now that the remains of their house have been removed, he said, the anticipation of building is starting to capture them.

What will rise from the rubble is now only in their heads.

“When you experience it, you understand the power of Mother Nature,” he said.

Anderson is trying to take things in stride as best he can.

“Things come and go. Things are things. It is the people who make a neighborhood,” he said before adding that it is his hope his neighbors stay.

“We love this community. It’s part of us. We love the sense of belonging. I believe this has pulled this community even tighter. We will be better for it.”

Trees to be planted

Jimmy Horchem, 49, a Riverside Medical Center emergency room nurse practitioner, has vowed to stay. When he rebuilds his heavily damaged house on Elmwood Drive, he has one must-have.

His house was built on a concrete slab. As a result, it had no basement or crawl space. One of those will be added.

During the tornado, which he could see as it crossed the Kankakee River and headed toward his home, he, his wife, Anabel, and their 4-month-old daughter, Amelia, huddled in the bathroom.

He said the blankets he used to cover his wife and daughter may not have provided much protection.

“I will admit that at that point, I had a very bleak outlook on what was going to happen. I could see the tornado was coming right across the river at us,” he said. “I thought we were going to die.”

The tornado dumped a huge amount of river water inside their home. It took the home’s roof. It took walls. He recalled the thought that the three would soon be swirling within the storm.

They were spared.

He walked outside after the tornado passed. He was immediately struck by how the neighborhood had changed. With homes lying in ruin, he noticed the heavily damaged trees.

“The beauty of the subdivision has been robbed,” he said of the trees. “... People moved here for the trees. Every day I start my day by looking out the window at the Kankakee River.”

He will do that again – eventually. The family is now living in Bourbonnais.

He does have a mission. In addition to rebuilding, he is also dedicating himself to planting trees. He most likely will not benefit from their shade, but a future generation will.

“I’ll plant some quicker-growing trees, but I do plan to plant some oak trees. We must have oak trees here.”