Editing Belvidere, Illinois (section)

===1967 tornado===
{{Main|1967 Belvidere tornado}}

On April 21, 1967, a devastating [[tornado]] struck Belvidere. Twenty-four people died as a result, many of them schoolchildren. The [[Fujita scale|F4 tornado]] struck at the end of the school day of [[Belvidere High School (Illinois)|Belvidere High School]], when many children, including those who attended area grade schools, were waiting outside the high school for school buses. Of the sixteen school buses outside the high school, twelve were overturned or thrown by the tornado.  The tornado did $22 million in damage, demolished over 100 homes, and injured 500 people.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |title=Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |date=1993 |publisher=Environmental Films |isbn=1-879362-03-1 |location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont |pages=1088}}</ref> In 2007 a statue was erected in front of Belvidere High School in memorial of the lives lost.

To this date, the Belvidere tornado remains the sixth worst weather disaster to happen at an American school.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ten Worst Tornado Related Disasters in Schools |url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/topten3.htm |access-date=4 August 2024 |website=Tornado Project}}</ref>