Laura Nagel: Indiana woman killed when tree fell on her home during severe weather Monday night

CEDAR LAKE, Ind. - Authorities are providing more details about the tragic death of a woman in Cedar Lake, Indiana, as severe weather battered the Chicagoland area on Monday night.

Tornado sirens blared throughout the neighborhood, and the damage in the area tells a harrowing story.

A massive tree fell onto a home in the 8900 block of West 141st Lane, resulting in the death of 44-year-old Laura Nagel at around 10 p.m. Monday night. Neighbors say emergency personnel did everything they could to try to save her.

"First responders pulled up maybe ten minutes later, so they did amazing. I watched them work and it was pouring rain, so, that was really like moving but still really sad," said Haley Urbani.

Todd Wilkening is the fire chief in Cedar Lake.

"The fire personnel and police officers frantically tried to do what we could. But at that point in time, the scene was not safe enough to continue. And the tree was about a 60-foot tall tree that laid across the roof of this house and penetrated the building. So the structure wasn't safe," he said.

Northwest Indiana was particularly hard hit by the storms, with many areas experiencing downed trees, blocked roads, and knocked-down power lines, according to the Cedar Lake Fire Department.

So far, the National Weather Service has confirmed at least five tornadoes touched down across the Chicagoland area Monday night.