Aroma Park after the tornado: what a Level 2 inspection documents for your insurer
Since the March storm we have scanned dozens of Aroma Park chimneys that looked untouched from the yard. About a third of them were not.
Why chimneys hide storm damage
A chimney is a stiff masonry column bolted to a flexible wood house. When a tornado or a straight-line wind hits, the house racks and the chimney does not, so they grind against each other at the roofline and in the attic. The exterior can look perfect while the clay tile liner, which is just stacked sections with thin mortar joints, cracks where the flex was worst. Flashing lifts a half inch and reseats. Crowns crack across. None of it shows from the driveway.
What we have been finding
In the Aroma Park scans since March the common findings are vertical cracks in the first few tiles above the roofline, open joints at the offset where the chimney passes into the attic, crowns cracked through and shifted, and flashing pulled loose on the windward side. In a few houses the top three or four courses had rotated slightly, which you could only see by sighting along the brick from the roof. In one, a tile had dropped and was resting across the flue eight feet down. That homeowner had a gas water heater venting into that flue.
What the report does
Every inspection produces a dated report with photos and camera stills, each finding described plainly and tied to its location in the flue. That report does two jobs. It tells you whether the chimney is safe to use, and it gives your insurance adjuster something they can act on. Adjusters approve claims that are documented and specific; they deny claims that are “the chimney seems off.” The order matters: inspect and document first, then repair. A flue that gets used or patched before it is scanned is a much harder claim and a real fire risk. If you are in Aroma Park and your chimney has not been scanned since the storm, call and we will fit you in ahead of routine work.
If this sounds like your house: we handle Level 2 chimney inspections across Kankakee County, and our Aroma Park page covers what we usually find there. Call (815) 449-4264, 7am to 9pm, any day.
Quick questions
My chimney looks fine. Do I still need this?
Yes. Most storm damage we find is inside the flue or at the flashing and is invisible from the ground.
Will the inspection help my insurance claim?
It provides the dated photos and specific findings adjusters need. That is its purpose.
Should I use the fireplace before the inspection?
No. A cracked liner is a chimney fire risk and using it complicates the claim.
How fast can you get to Aroma Park?
Storm inspections are prioritized; usually within a couple of days.
Published September 28, 2026 · Updated September 26, 2026 · By Jacob Dove, Friendship Chimney Sweep, Bourbonnais IL