City of Belvidere begins recovery after destructive straight-line winds

BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — The City of Belvidere is recovering after severe straight-line winds caused widespread damage across the community.

Emergency crews responded to numerous incidents, including rescues from damaged structures, gas leaks, and hazardous conditions. Many power poles were snapped, and several trees struck homes, cars, and buildings.

The Belvidere Fire Department, with assistance from neighboring fire agencies, responded to 51 storm-related calls for service. No injuries were reported among civilians or first responders.

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The Salvation Army provided food and heavy equipment support to responders. Belvidere Road between U.S. 20 and Logan Avenue will remain closed for multiple days as cleanup efforts continue.

Residents are urged to follow safety guidelines, including treating all downed power lines as live and using flashlights instead of candles during power outages.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WTVO. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WTVO staff before being published.