More than 300 area residents attended the "Hub Strong" Tornado Anniversary in Rochelle Saturday as they remember what took place a year ago.
The EF-4 tornado had winds that reached 200 miles per hour and did damage or destroyed over 80 structures in Ogle County which included a subdivision in rural Rochelle.
Yesterday's event was for families to come together and celebrate the success over the past year and to comfort those who are still working on their recovery process from the storm.
Rochelle Mayor Chet Olson said its good to talk about the incident a year ago. He said this small community has rallied together and will be stronger in the future.
Mayor Olson also said that area residents will never forget April 9th, 2015.
Ogle County Long Term Recovery Committee Chairman Cal Jacobs of Rochelle said that the year has gone by fast in helping the victims of the tornado. He said that the majority of the families are back in their homes with a few little projects that need to be completed. He hopes that within 6 months, everyone can become whole again.
Jacobs said that the committee still has money to help the families in the future.
Most of the families have rebuilt on their current property. Others have moved to another area in rural Rochelle.
Residents in the community of Fairdale held a ceremony yesterday to remember the April 9th tornado. 2 women were killed and dozens of homes damaged or destroyed in the storm.
Governor Bruce Rauner attended the event and also took a tour of the DeKalb County community.
