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From WBEZ.

Hi, I'm Chloe Percinos.

Curious citizen, Aaron English Bailey, had a healthy fear of tornadoes as a kid.

She grew up near the northwestern limits of Chicagoland's sprawl,

and she remembers when the tornado siren would go off.

There were plenty of times where I was in the basement with my brother,

like, waiting for the sirens to stop.

Together, they'd sit there, huddled in the basement, and Aaron's imagination would get away from her.

I was afraid of cars flying through the air and our house blowing out, you know, our roof blowing off.

Years later, Bailey moved to the big city.

Suddenly, people were just like, whatever. They were just really blasé about it.

I'm like, oh, that's not going to have to hear. And I thought, why do they think that?

Why do they think that? Has a tornado ever hit Chicago?

Bailey never placed much stock in the urban legend. She thought weather patterns are weather patterns.

It shouldn't have anything to do with how many people live there. much stock in the urban legend, she thought weather patterns are weather patterns.

It shouldn't have anything to do with how many people live there.

Well, the village of Oakland was hit by a devastating tornado in 1967.

Now, I know what you're thinking.

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