Kankakee County rebuilds after EF-3 tornado as residents brace for more severe weather

KANKAKEE - More than two weeks after an EF-3 tornado tore through Kankakee County, business owners and neighbors are making steady progress as they rebuild together.

On Thursday, some residents were bracing themselves as the potential for severe weather returned to the area. 

What we know:

Like many businesses and homes across Kankakee County, Tholen's Landscape & Garden Center was devastated by the storms on March 10. 

Now, the owners are picking up the pieces — rebuilding with the community's support. 

For 50 years, Tholen's has supported generations of gardeners.

"We're the kind of the place where people go when they have a question for their lawn, their garden, their trees, their shrubs," said Nancy Tholen, who owns the business with her husband, Steve. 

Located a few miles south of downtown Kankakee, the family-owned business, which spans four generations, is rebuilding — one step at a time.

For Tholen, the day the tornado turned the county upside down still weighs heavy as it does for many.

"We got a phone call from our next-door neighbor, who said 'Kankakee's gone.' When someone tells you something like that, that's kind of devastating, and you're like, 'What!?'" Tholen said. 

Multiple buildings at Tholen's in Kankakee were leveled, including their greenhouse, perennial house, and scale house.

"This wall back here was totally gone, blown right out, so that is all new. All the glass was gone here. The glass isn't back in, but the walls are reconstructed," Tholen said. 

While the business is back open, Tholen said it's been a slow start.

"Here's the problem, because I don't have my glass, people don't think we're open," Tholen explained. "I've got a sign out front that says, 'Spring's here — we are open,' so that people get the drift."

The family is waiting on insurance but estimates the damage could total as much as $3 million.

"Every day is another day of making progress," Tholen said. 

Nancy and her husband, who are longtime community members, say they are incredibly grateful none of their employees were hurt and thankful to their customers for standing by while they recover.

"We're in the process of getting it back together," Tholen said. 

What's next:

Tholen's Landscape & Garden Center is hosting its annual open house at its Bourbonnais location on Friday, March 27.  

Also on Friday, officials from the Illinois Department of Insurance are hosting an information session at the Kankakee Public Library (201 E. Merchant St.) from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to assist residents with questions or concerns.