A week after a tornado tore through Homewood, Lauren Seeley is staying somewhere else, sorting through what the storm left behind—and leaning on neighbors who refuse to let the loss become hers alone. The 68-year-old lost her third-floor apartment after the roof was ripped away and rain poured inside, all while she was recovering from chemotherapy and battling serious illness.
The National Weather Service’s Chicago office later confirmed that the damage fell along an EF-1 tornado path running from Country Club Hills through Glenwood and affecting Hazel Crest, Markham, Harvey, East Hazel Crest and Homewood. It was one of seven confirmed tornadoes from the July 27 severe-weather outbreak, according to the National Weather Service.
Inside Seeley’s building, the storm turned a roof failure into a flooding emergency. She spent roughly three hours bailing water from the apartment, and FOX 32 Chicago reported that water damage ruined nearly all of her belongings, although she saved some clothing and personal items.
Homewood was part of a broader south and west suburban disaster zone that day. NBC Chicago reported that storms knocked down trees from Darien to Homewood and brought wind gusts above 80 mph in parts of the metro area, along with heavy rain, hail and tornado warnings.
A Difficult Year Became Total Displacement
Seeley is living with Crohn’s disease and uterine cancer, and she had spent the previous year and a half caring for her parents before they died days apart in their 90s. Her father’s artwork and family memories were among the possessions inside the apartment, adding an emotional weight to a loss that was already physically overwhelming.
She told FOX 32 Chicago, “I just want to be able to rest and treat my diseases.” She also described the forced downsizing as almost a bonus, a small bit of perspective as she tries to recover from both the storm and her treatment.
Seeley has a place to stay for now, and her cat and dogs are safe. Neighbors have launched a GoFundMe to help her replace necessities, while people who know her from years working at the local library have rallied around her and offered support.
At a Homewood rain gauge, the National Weather Service recorded 2.45 inches from the storm, helping explain how quickly an exposed apartment became an indoor flood. For Seeley, the next steps are quieter than the tornado itself: finding stability, replacing essentials, and getting enough rest to focus on treatment and recovery.
