from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news." reporting tonight, lester holt. good evening. it was a monster of a tornado of a size they see maybe once or twice a decade in illinois. it killed two people and turned the small town of fairdale into a tortured landscape of misery and devastation. in the destruction zone tonight survivors are still recounting harrowing moments of when it hit, the frantic searches for those trapped and coming to grips with what they have lost. and as we come to expect, there were cameras rolling as buildings were ripped from their foundations and vehicles sailed through the air. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer is in fairdale where they took a direct hit. miguel, show us what you're seeing there. >> reporter: lester, good evening. tonight in these blustery conditions this is symbolic of what we've found here. at this one property alone this barn was literally ripped into hundreds of pieces. take a look at the main home here. we found pieces of it about a mile down the road.