$1M grant to remove debris embedded in Naperville yards by 2021 tornado

NAPERVILLE — Dangerous wood, metal and glass shards embedded in the yards of 70 Naperville homes by an EF-3 tornado on June 20, 2021, will be removed and the soil replaced through a grant from the state.

State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, was able to include $1 million for the needed environmental cleanup in the state's capital program that was adopted during the Legislature's lame duck session this past week.

"This is huge," said Kristy Kennedy, co-founder of Naperville Tornado Relief. "The grant means kids can play in their yards again this summer."

In the days after the tornado, a group of moms known as Ranch View Area Community Assistance created a Facebook page to cut through the red tape and connect neighbors who needed help with those who wanted to volunteer.

The group morphed into Naperville Tornado Relief, which raised money to fill the financial gaps not covered by homeowners' insurance and then partnered with the Naperville-based nonprofit M.P. Foundation with a goal of collecting $1.5 million.

Of top priority is replacing yards for the 31 families whose homes were declared uninhabitable or their direct neighbors whose yards became blanketed by debris.

Residents say the ground surrounding their homes is filled with dangerous materials and they can't let their children or pets use them without fear of injury.

"Getting this money now, we have a great opportunity to do a great job implementing our initiative," Kennedy said. "We have more time to plan, strategize, work with contractors ... everything. It's such a gift to have the time. We'll be able to do a better job for people."

The estimate on the cost to clean up 70 yards is about $1.1 million, she said.

"We will be able to fulfill our commitment," she said.

Whatever the group collects from other sources would be used for landscaping and beautification projects, Kennedy added.

Stava-Murray said when devastation from a tornado occurs, it's assumed everything is going to be covered by insurance.

"The reality is that not everything is covered by insurance, and we saw this gap in the environmental cleanup in particular," she said.

She spoke with Kennedy in mid-November, right before the veto session, so she had time to put in her request before the new legislature was seated, she said.

"What inspired me was just seeing my neighbors in need and seeing my constituents, knowing that tornadoes like this could hit any one of us in any one of these districts across the state of Illinois," Stava-Murray said.

The damage wasn't large enough to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance. "But it's really the right size problem for state government to take care of," she said.

"My only ask was this million dollars for Naperville because that was the most critical need for my district, so that was what I prioritized," Stava-Murray said.

The grant, funneled through Naperville Tornado Relief's nonprofit partner MP Foundation, will be administered through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.