Five years after a devastating tornado touched down in Woodridge and other nearby suburbs late on Father’s Day, the community stands a bit differently.

In the aftermath of the tragic event, government officials and residents worked diligently in different ways to help neighbors who were in need at the time.

Along the way, they also brought about change in the community so that in the event of a future emergency, additional support measures will be in place.

The nonprofit, Neighbors Helping Neighbors Disaster Recovery, was formed just two months after the tornado and remains in existence today.

“It took about five years to get everybody back in their homes,” said Dianne O’Donnell, co-chairwoman of Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

“Our goal going forward now that most of the folks are back safe and sound in their homes is to be there for future crises,” she said.

“You know there is going to be something,” she said. “God forbid, you hope there won’t, but the plan is to be there at the ready.”

For example, after a fire displaced residents of an apartment building on Janes Ave. in January, “So many community members helped,” O’Donnell said.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors donated gift cards to the displaced residents so that they could replace the items that were destroyed in the fire.

“That is who we want to be going forward,” O’Donnell said.

In addition, the creation of a local volunteer emergency response team began to gain traction following the tornado.

Longtime Woodridge resident Curtis Nekovar, who now serves on the Village Board, remembers the “gawkers” driving up and down the tornado-ravaged streets the morning after the tornado.

Nekovar and his neighbors were busy trying to clean up their yards as a multitude of representatives from storm damage repair companies solicited new business.

It “reinvigorated me to do something,” Nekovar said.

With a 30 plus-year career in public safety including serving as a firefighter/EMT, Nekovar has “responded to a lot of these disasters and emergencies.”

He remembers heading to Plainfield following the tornado that hit that community in 1990. Thirty one years later, a tornado hit his own community.

Nekovar’s home endured significant damage to its chimney and front porch; however, around the corner several homes were completely destroyed.

The tornado impacted so many streets in Woodridge that it would have been impossible to put police officers on every street, Nekovar said.

However, a group of trained volunteers could help out in these types of situations, he said.

Former Woodridge Police Chief Brian Cunningham “really saw the need” to create a group to help in these types of situations, Nekovar said. “And that was just personified after the tornado.”

The Woodridge Volunteer Corps held its first meeting in October 2022, and in May 2024 it was recognized as a Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) by FEMA and IEMA.

With a group of 20 volunteers, the CERT team contributed more than 900 hours of service to the community in 2025 alone.

Their group’s work includes helping out at community events and training exercises and lending a hand in emergency situations “to free the first responders, the people that need to be on the front line,” Nekovar said.

The village of Woodridge has organized an event to mark the fifth anniversary of the tornado to give the community a chance to reflect on its “resilience, strength, and heart.”

At 11:10 a.m. on Sunday, “A Gathering of Gratitude” will be held at Woodridge’s Duffy’s Pavilion.

The time of 11:10 is significant because it was at 11:10 p.m. that the EF-3 tornado touched down in Naperville, Woodridge, Darien, Burr Ridge and Willow Springs resulting in damage to numerous buildings, thousands of downed trees and injuries to 11 individuals.

Years later, some Woodridge residents are still affected by the storm, said Woodridge Mayor Gina Cunningham.

Still, she said, “I could not be more grateful for our neighbors and their care for one another and their resilience. These are very hard-working people that had their entire lives turned upside down.”

“Truly, what resonates with me is our response as a village, as neighbors,” Cunningham said. “People immediately came out and offered their help.”

Some neighbors brought gift cards, food and water, and local restaurants “were so incredibly generous,” she added. “You don’t forget.”