Fairdale residents whose homes were destroyed by a tornado on April 9 will be able to apply for less restrictive building permits Thursday.

The DeKalb County Board approved an ordinance that rezoned the unincorporated town of Fairdale, allowing residents to rebuild with modern requirements and without the permit fee.

The tornado that hit DeKalb County on April 9 — one of 11 across Illinois that day — left two dead, 22 injured and 34 homes destroyed. Rebuilding the town will ultimately depend on the people who live in their, said Paul Miller, director of DeKalb County Planning, Zoning and Building, according to an April 20 Northern Star article.