to - HOPE Lives On

WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
STRONG
STRONG
An Account of the Washington, Illinois
An Account
of the Washington, Illinois
Tornado of November 17, 2013
Tornado of November 17, 2013
Created by Ron Millard
Dedication
Tornado
DEDICATION
T
his account of the historic Washington, Illinois tornado of
November 17, 2013, is dedicated to not only those who lost
homes, vehicles, and other possessions, but also to those families
who were unfortunate enough to lose loved ones. (Sadly there
were three deaths.) And to all those people and organizations that
came from near and far to help in any and every way possible in
whatever recovery efforts were needed.
Extracted from a hymn (Christ, Be Our Light) we hear:
“Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others.
Shared until all are fed.
Longing for shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others.
Walls made of living stone.”
Hundreds (or thousands) of people and organizations have helped
provide hot meals and food for those who were hungry. Bottles of
water were distributed by the truckload to those who were thirsty.
Many families opened their homes to the homeless, in many cases
to total strangers. All these provided shelter and warmth inside
loving walls.
The city of Washington is now a united city that truly stands
strong and proud. Bad memories of the storm will never
completely disappear, but homes can be rebuilt, vehicles can be
replaced, trees can be replanted. Like the mythical Phoenix, the
city will rise again, and with it the new hopes and dreams of many.
Introduction
Tornado
INTRODUCTION
I
n your hands you have one person’s collection of comments and
pictures of the storm. You can easily get on the Internet and find
many other pictures, videos and reports. Except for some aerial shots
from news helicopters, the original information by the author–text and
pictures–contained in this work will not be found anywhere else (thus
reducing redundancy) and should be a welcome supplement to
everything else available. A few of those who lost homes helped
contribute their memories to this work. Also, some information has
been translated from Washington historical sources.
Although I have written three books previously, I don’t consider
myself a professional writer. I’m sure this book contains “technical”
flaws in writing technique and perhaps not the best choice of words to
use in some cases. Perhaps you’re reading this in printed form or on
your computer using any .pdf reader. I also created Nook (epub) and
Kindle (mobi) file versions, but while they will read OK on a Nook,
Kindle or tablet, unfortunately pictures are lost so I abandoned those
formats as downloadable options.
Some may call this an electronic scrapbook, but it is not intended to be
just a collection of pictures. In keeping with my goal of including as
much event history as possible without creating a 200-300 page
document, I have tried to make this short book as interesting as
possible. I hope readers enjoy reading this unusual piece of
Washington history.
Ron Millard
December, 2014
Important If Printing: Because of the original possibility of
actually publishing this book in printed form, I designed it in
6x9 format. For those desiring to print this book, realize
different printers will react differently when using non-standard
(other than 8½x11) size pages. If printing this book I suggest printing only a
couple of pages to start with as a test. Most likely your pages will be centered as
a smaller page on an 8½x11 sheet. Ideally, your printer software may allow you
to expand the text and pictures to fill an 8½x11 page before printing
Table of Contents
Tornado
CONTENTS
Chapter One - Washington History 101 (pages 1-10)
If only interested in going straight to the
tornado coverage, skip this chapter and go
directly to Chapter two. But this first chapter
provides a lot of historical background that
might be of interest to most readers of this
book. Information is presented in
chronological order as much as practical.
Chapter Two - A City Transformed; Pictures Worth A Million
Words (pages 11-32)
Chapter Three - Cause and Effect (pages 33-36)
Chapter Four - Personal Stories (pages 37-54)
Chapter Five - Help, Heroes, and Hope (pages 55-62)
Chapter Six - Months Later; The Road to Recovery (pages 63-67)
Epilogue
Page 68
Author Bio
Page 69
Tornado - Page 1
CHAPTER
1
Washington History 101
W
ashington is a town of about 13,000
people and is located in Tazewell county
in Central Illinois. The nearest big city is
Peoria which is about ten miles west.
Washington is primarily flat farm land and
doesn’t have any large lakes, rivers, or scenic
hills or mountains. What it may lack in
appearance is more than made up by nice
homes, marvelous schools, an efficient
governance system, and great shoppingespecially on the town square. Many people
who grew up through the local grade and high
schools have continued to make Washington
their home as they raised families of their own.
Most would say Washington is a very nice town in which to live.
The town was founded in 1825 by a man
named William Holland. He came to this
Indian populated area from Peoria, which
at that time was named Fort Clark. But he
was originally from North Carolina where
he was born in 1780. Holland was a
blacksmith by trade. In addition, he was
also a gunsmith, mechanic, and built,
owned and operated the area’s first grist
mill.
He built a log house where the Habecker Funeral Home was later
built, and it was the only house and his the only family in or near
Washington until about a year later. His log cabin was on, Holland
Street of course. The first frame house was built years later by a
gentleman named John Lindley.
Tornado - Page 2
The post office and later the city was originally named Holland's
Grove in 1833. In 1834 Mr. Holland platted out the original town.
In 1837 it was renamed Washington in honor of the first U.S.
president, George Washington. The town was incorporated by the
state of Illinois in February 1857.
William Holland died in Washington on November 27, 1871, at the
age of ninety-one. He had been married three times and fathered
twenty-one children, eighty-two grandchildren and fifty great
grandchildren.
The first town physician was Dr. Goodwin, who moved here in
1832. The first lawyer in Washington was Thornton Walker who
came from Virginia. This was most likely in the 1830s. Dr.
Burton opened the first pharmacy in 1838. John Dougherty
became the first city attorney in 1878.
A Reverend Andrews moved to Washington with his family in
1847, where he was pastor of Washington Presbyterian Church.
Other early settlers were the Birketts, Danforths, Denharts, Eberts,
Kelsos, Roehms, Slonnegers, Stormers, Strubhars, and Zinsers
among others.
A. J. Danforth was actually born in Washington in 1840 and
became a noted banker and horseman. Henry Denhart, another
prominent banker, moved to Washington in 1853. His home on
South Main Street later became the White Funeral Home.
Early banks in town were the A. G. Danforth Bank (1858) and the
Henry Denhart Bank (1866). Other early businesses were drug
stores and newspapers, and the Chris Ebert well drilling company.
Washington was growing.
The first dental work in Washington was done by physicians, and
this was the extracting of teeth. Occasionally a dentist would come
into town for a few days and do some dentistry. There were
Tornado - Page 3
dentists in Peoria, and many people who needed dental work
would either take the train or make the all-day trip in a buggy.
Dr. Hoover was the first dentist in Washington, beginning in 1863.
A gentleman by the name of Israel Zinser had decided to get into
the pharmacy business, and so in 1868 he opened Zinser Drug
Store. In 1875, Dr. Alfred Alphonso came to Washington
and opened the Alphonso Drug Store, in direct competition with
Zinser.
In 1876, the first
Washington High School
graduating class had four
students, all young ladies.
Among them was Mary
Italin, arguably the best
known teacher in the city’s
history. After high school
graduation she was hired to
teach first primary, a
position she held for sixty
years. At the time of the
Washington centennial celebration in August, 1925, Miss Mary's
service was recognized by the community.
In 1896, George Heyl started a Shetland Pony business on North
Main Street. The farm closed out its business in 1965.
Many people do not realize that Cooper (Station) was once
quite a booming location. In the late 1800's there was a grain
elevator, post office, blacksmith shop, school and grocery store.
Also, another interesting fact is that Mackinaw is credited with
being the oldest settled area in Tazewell County.
Tornado - Page 4
William Roehm came to
Washington from Germany in
1865 and opened a shoe business.
It was a frame building and was
operated continuously by one
family, passing from one
generation to the other. In 1967
— the shoe store, possibly the
oldest business house on the
square, was razed.
Like many smaller towns of that era, Washington developed and
featured a town square as the center commercial hub. Going
forward about another thirty years to the early 1900’s, we now
witness the growth on the town square. Originally there were
hitching posts in front of businesses for horses and buggies as
people came to town.
The city infrastructure was progressing as street lights were
installed, streets paved, and in-home running water became
available. Meat wagons and bottled milk deliveries were a
welcome addition to the town’s offerings.
A bandstand was erected on the town square. (Shown on the next
page) It was dedicated in 1900 and was a very popular attraction
for many years. One of the early names in Washington was
Martini. The Martini Band played frequent concerts utilizing the
bandstand. The bronze memorial of William Holland shown on
page 1 was first imbedded in bricks in the base of the bandstand.
Tornado - Page 5
Washington bandstand,
circa 1900.
Chris Ebert was awarded the contract for boring the new
city well in 1902.
Construction of the Dickinson canning factory at the
west end of Holland Street was started in 1909. The cannery
packed peas, corn and pumpkin. In 1929 the company was sold to
Libby, McNeill and Libby.
In 1913, a movie theater called the Lyric opened on the square.
The first offering was the serial “Perils of Pauline.”
The Washington Post of the American Legion was organized in
1919. The American Legion Auxiliary Unit #100 was chartered in 1924.
Frank Steimle came to Washington and bought the Zinser Drug
Store in 1921 from the widow of Elmer Zinser.
The first scouting unit in Washington was Troop 62, organized in
1924.
1936 — A 90-acre farm west of town is to be called Sunnyland.
Tornado - Page 6
Within two years, another subdivision west of Washington to be
known as Beverly Manor was platted.
Population in January 1941 reached 2,456.
The original Central
Grade School on Wilmor
Road was destroyed by a
tornado in 1941.
There was much city activity in 1942:
• There was a new nursing home and hospital at the corner of
South Main and Catherine Streets by the Lasance family. The
name was later changed to the Washington Hospital. In 1950 the
property was purchased by the Baltz family for use as a nursing
home for the aged. (This is now an apartment complex.)
• A new high school was constructed on Bondurant Street.
• The Herbst Company was originated.
During the later part of World War II in 1945, about 50
German prisoners were quartered and worked at Libby's
warehouse. Libbys had army guards from Camp Ellis in charge.
I personally remember as an eight year old “talking” to the
prisoners when they were outside. Separated by the fence of
course. It’s interesting to note that after the war was over, some of
the prisoners chose to stay and live in Washington.
Work was begun on the new Lincoln Grade School in 1948.
The Washington Jaycees were formed in 1949, and the Jaycettes in
1951.
The population in 1950 rose to 5,919.
Tornado - Page 7
The bandstand, which stood over the public well, was torn down
in 1959 and replaced by a lighted fountain and pool.
Foster Jewelry opened on the square in August 1959.
Also in 1959, Don Gronewold from Farmington bought the
Steimle store and established Don's Pharmacy.
The Washington Nursing Center on Newcastle Road was opened
with fifty-one beds in October 1962.
In 1971 the Washington Lions Club was chartered.
The Highview Hills Country Club west of town opened its golf
course in 1971.
The Grand Opening of Valley Forge Shopping Center also opened
in 1971.
Going back to the 1950's, popular businesses on the square were:
A & P Super Market, Riley’s Lunch, Mary Spring’s Dress Shop,
Casper’s Grocery, Ortwein’s Meats, the town post office, barber
shops, CILCO, the town theater, Land’s Clothing, Tully's, Herbst
Hardware, Marshalls and The Spot bars/restaurants, the city
building, the Corn Corner, bowling alley and pool hall, Don’s
Pharmacy, banks, Meyer’s Studebaker, and much more.
Over the years, local attorneys were replaced by younger men.
Well known attorney names, and in some cases their children, have
included Heipel, Black, Moehle, and Essig.
Tornado - Page 8
Lets progress now to 2012. In 2012, a monument was erected on
the town square. Below is a picture of the monument which
contains information about the bell and a grandstand plaque. In
addition to the bell and bandstand plaque, the monument displays
the original plaque of William Holland shown on page 1.
Also on the monument are
plaques of George
Washington and Abraham
Lincoln (next page). Upon
reading the Lincoln plaque,
you will notice he spent much
time between Metamora and
Washington and had many
friends here. In 1858, while having a
political battle against incumbent Stephen
Douglas, Lincoln came here on his way to
Metamora for his famous debate at the
Metamora courthouse.
Tornado - Page 9
Lincoln Plaque
Notice too, there is a plaque that was
dedicated in 1975. The city had a nice
sesquicentennial celebration in 1975
commemorating the city’s 150th
birthday.
The cover of the celebration book is
displayed at the right.
Tornado - Page 10
Some dedicated people wished to change what the city looked like
in 2000 back to its appearance in the 1930’s through the 1950’s.
They were wildly successful, as people now come to Washington
to peruse all the gift, antique, jewelry, and restaurant
establishments. Occasionally by the bus loads. Washington was
transformed back to a small town look and feel.
But as we will soon read, there was another transformation about
to take place in late 2013. An very unwelcome transformation.
Tornado - Page 11
CHAPTER
2
A City Transformed
Pictures Worth a Million Words
Sunday
November 17
2013
Around 10:55 am
I
t’s quiet. It’s late in the morning. Perhaps your coffee is still
hot. But the sky is getting dark…
Sirens. More sirens. Sirens getting louder and louder. A typical
warning of potential bad weather. After all, the local television
weather forecasters have been saying for the past two or three days
there were great possibilities of heavy winds and rain for this day.
Even possibly tornado activity for the area. But such warnings
occasionally happen and heavy winds and rain are not too
uncommon. Usually nothing bad happens.
But this day seemed a little different. Our wind chimes were
starting to sing a more frantic tune . After listening to the sirens
and chimes for what seemed to be an eternity, I ventured out onto
our back deck, looking at the southwest sky. A dark gray and
purplish wall of thunderstorm clouds were starting to swirl as the
blue sky begrudgingly gave way. At this point I watched as a
funnel cloud was being formed not over a block or two away.
Although not of recent vintage, Washington had some tornados in
the past. In 1860 there was a tornado that did considerable damage.
There were others in 1924 and 1941, the latter destroying a school
house. Of course, there have been many more recent near misses,
such as those that touched down in Morton, Pekin and North Pekin
in the past few years. Also in Woodford county with the
destruction of the Parson’s Manufacturing plant.
Tornado - Page 12
The winds became stronger and then came the dreaded locomotive
sound. My wife said it was like thunder up in the clouds, except it
was continuous. While being tempted to watch this awesome
display of nature and take some pictures, my wife forced me to go
down to our basement for safety reasons. In our downstairs office
looking out the window, I saw our child’s plastic play set in the
back yard being blown apart. Fortunately, none of the pieces blew
against the house windows. In just a few seconds it was all over, at
least right here. For all I knew at the time, this was still just a very
bad wind storm with minimal damage.
We and many neighbors went outside to look for visible damage.
Almost all the homes within view had roof damage, some more
severe than others. Including us. By the next day I called our
neighborhood “tarp city.” Some fences were blown down. No
visible tree damage.
My son who lives
just one hundred
yards away took this
picture. Our house is
right in the middle.
The tornado was
about one block
behind us.
An hour after the storm we decided to go check on a granddaughter
and her husband on Eagle
Street just to make sure
everything was all right over
on the north side of the main
highway. Still, not really
expecting anything worse
than what we experienced
on our south side of Peoria
Street.
Coming down our street
(Greenfield Drive) heading toward Hillcrest, there was a large
Tornado - Page 13
evergreen tree blown over. I remarked to my wife, “Oh look, those
neighbors lost a tree.”
On Hillcrest heading north we started seeing more and more fallen
trees and tree branches scattered, and then some snapped power
lines on the road. I said, “My, this looks worse than we thought.”
Still not realizing what was ahead of us.
Once we got to the main highway, glances to the west toward
where Gilman, Fayette, and the golf course were, made us realize
the destruction that had happened. But like a bad dream, it was
about to get worse.
In addition to Central Grade
School, Eagle Street consists of a
series of apartment complexes.
All the apartments were heavily
damaged. The school escaped
relatively unscathed.
After dodging branches, other debris and dangerous downed power
lines, we were able to make it to Eagle Street. After seeing
damage on Elgin Street, we were now expecting to see more severe
destruction in this area. True. Almost all the seven apartment
buildings on Eagle Street were either destroyed or at least had
missing roofs and siding. I took some preliminary pictures there.
Tornado - Page 14
The apartment granddaughter Leslie lived in still had all walls
standing and most of the roof. But she and husband Ben were
nowhere to be found. Both of their cars were still in the apartment
parking lot; one severely damaged and the other with a hot power
line lying on top of it. Talking to a stunned resident from the same
apartment, she thought she had seen them leave a few minutes ago.
Heading back home and looking off into the distance, we realized
there was little left of Washington Estates. Huge piles of ruble.
The shocking truth was settling in. And the haunting question,
how much more damage was done in the city?
Tornado - Page 15
More Elgin and Eagle Street photos
Tornado - Page 16
After arriving back home we were elated and relieved when Leslie
and Ben appeared. They had walked there from their apartment.
They explained they had spent tornado time huddled in their
second floor bathroom tub, and then discovered their main
bedroom roof, while mostly intact, had a hole in it with rain
coming in. We were all thankful it wasn’t worse.
With a heavy heart and a lump in the throat, I decided to take
additional pictures. In actuality I took close to 400, some of which
are displayed in this work. Also about this time, I heard on the car
radio there was some tornado destruction in Pekin and East Peoria.
While it’s troublesome to look at pictures such as these, we have to
realize this is history and needs to be recorded. We’ll resume our
sad journey around town with more photos from Washington
Estates: Flossmoor, Gilman, Fayette, and others from that section
of Washington.
Tornado - Page 17
From the Gilman and Fayette area, we witness this devastation.
Some of these were taken right after the storm and some a few
days later once I had access again.
Looking in the distance, there were very
few homes that still had standing walls.
Tornado - Page 18
This last shot is a road’s eye view
of the golf course. I was unable to
get access into the Georgetown
Commons Apartments, which got
hit hard. And at the time I wasn’t
aware of the damage to the back
section of Felker’s Addition.
Tornado - Page 19
Saturday, November 16th. The city was in a joyous mood. The highly
successful undefeated high school football team had just won another
round of state championship playoff games and made it to the final four.
Joy turned to despair about twenty hours later. Many team members
were suddenly homeless, and yet they were out working to help clean up
where possible. And not just their own homes, but those of unfortunate
neighbors as well.
A week later before their next game against Springfield Sacred Heart
Griffith, that school paid for busses to come to Washington and pick up
fans. They also did other acts of kindness by feeding the Washington
team before and after the game.
As I’m writing this I can’t help but be overcome by how neighbors,
friends, strangers, organizations, churches, and others all worked
together to help whenever and wherever necessary.
I anxiously wanted to see if friends in other parts of town were
OK. But it wasn’t easy to navigate on the littered streets, so I
decided to wait until the next day when, hopefully, traveling the
Washington streets might be easier. I found that wasn’t going to
be the case. Cars could get around from place A to place B, but it
wasn’t easy, and in some cases impossible. This was still prior to
barricades and police stops.
From Hillcrest, I drove west on Kern Road. At first nothing
appeared to be serious. At this time I was still unaware of the
tornado’s path (coming up in Chapter Three). But the further I
went more and more damage became obvious.
Tornado - Page 20
Heavy damage was sustained
in the Kern Road area. Also
Timber Creek subdivision,
Countryview Court, South
Cummings Road, and others.
We start here on Kern Road.
Tornado - Page 21
Just off Kern Road near South
Cummings Lane is
Streamwood Court in the
Timber Creek subdivision. We
have friends that live on that
cul-de-sac.
The Davidson house on the corner fared a little better than most
because there were still standing walls. But obviously it was still a
total loss. I took some pictures (not included here) on January 3rd
Tornado - Page 22
(2014) when the remainder of the
house was being knocked down
and hauled away.
Notice in this first picture how
dark and ominous the sky and
clouds remain. The rest below
were taken the following day.
are om
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Tornado - Page 23
Our friends the Beasley family
suffered a loss of home, contents
and pets. Their pictures and other
homes on Streamwood Court
were taken the day after.
Like many other positive
stories after the storm, this
family was fortunate to
search and find many family
treasures.
Other neighborhood homes…
Tornado - Page 24
Before we leave Timber Creek, here’s an aerial shot of
Streamwood Court. (These and all other aerial pictures are credited to
either the WGN or WLS helicopter.)
Across Kern Road from Timber Creek is another cul-de-sac,
Countryview Court. Of the four homes there, three were severely
damaged and totaled and the other one had heavy damage but I
don’t know the future of it. The
photo displayed below was the home
of some other people we know, the
Avis family. It will be torn down and
rebuilt.
At the
left is a
picture of one of their close
neighbors.
Tornado - Page 25
Located in Devonshire Estates, our best friends on Kensington and
Westminster were very unfortunate. The Smiths and Hullingers
lost their homes, automobiles, and most of their important
contents. Like many victims, they were able to salvage some of
their belongings.
It took me some time, patience and detours, to be able to reach
both locations. Because they lived on a corner and had a sloped
driveway, I was able to recognize the location of the Smith home
which was completely leveled. They were home at the time of the
tornado and were able to reach the safety of their basement.
As stated before, they lost
their two cars and most of
their contents.
Here and on the next
page are some workers
at the Smith home the
day after. Working as a
team they were able to
salvage what they
could, especially from
the basement.
Tornado - Page 26
These pictures of helpers are typical of many other locations in
town at the same time.
Before we leave the Kensington area, here and on the next page are
other photos randomly taken there and on nearby adjoining streets.
Tornado - Page 27
Tornado - Page 28
Still in Devonshire Estates, my trek of checking on friends
continued onto Westminster. I was disappointed to discover the
same damage as Kensington. Either the tornado was wider than I
thought or this was the direct path it took. I tried to locate our
friends the Hullinger’s house. I new they were in the 1300 block,
but there were very few
visible house numbers to
be found. I believe I
found their location (but
was never positive) and
took some photos on
their street. Some of
them are presented here
and on the next two
pages.
Tornado - Page 29
More Westminster on next page
Tornado - Page 30
End of Westminster area photos
Tornado - Page 31
Police barricades prevented me from getting access to Dallas Road,
Trails Edge, and the other subdivisions and streets off of it.
Perhaps some of these aerial pictures are from that area.
As mentioned previously, the Georgetown Commons Apartments
suffered extreme damage and was off limits to everyone, including
those renting there. Again, I don’t have any pictures except this
one from the news choppers. All the apartments were later
demolished by work crews.
Tornado - Page 32
I have a few other pictures presented here, but I’m not sure where
they were taken. Locations were pretty much unrecognizable.
When Washington Mayor Gary Manier first went out to survey
damage, he commented he had no idea where he was.
As it turns out, it was the strongest November tornado since
records began in 1950. A loss or serious damage to over 1,100
homes just in Washington.
The top two pictures show visible evidence of the tornado’s
direction.
Coming up, the cause and effect of tornados and some pictures of
the Washington tornado path.
Tornado - Page 33
CHAPTER
3
Cause and Effect
W
e know what damage tornados, hurricanes and typhoons can
do. But just what is the cause and then the effect of
disasters such as these? I have collected some knowledge from
other sources and assembled this brief description.
Tornadoes form in conjunction with thunderstorms when there is
moist warm air ahead of easterly-heading cold fronts. They tend to
form in the winter and early spring. These conditions increase
wind speed when the wind changes direction in a storm. This
effect starts off in a horizontal direction, but soon becomes vertical
thanks to rising air. Tornadoes are then created inside this area of
rotation.
A funnel cloud extending down from a wall cloud is the sure sign
of a tornado, but there are other visual clues that one may be
forming. The wall cloud itself is one. The skies will turn dark
black (and sometimes greenish or purple) and thunderstorm cells
form enough power to produce a tornado. This may produce
larger than normal hail and rain bursts. If a loud roar akin to a
freight train can be heard along with these other signs, a tornado is
in the proximity.
About 70 percent of all tornado formations are considered "weak,"
with winds that reach 110 mph or less. These tornadoes last for
one to 10 minutes and account for less than 5 percent of tornado
deaths. Strong tornadoes have winds that reach between 110 mph
and 205 mph and make up nearly 30 percent of all tornadoes. They
can last 20 minutes or more, and contribute up to 30 percent of all
tornado deaths. Violent tornadoes make up only 2 percent of all
Tornado - Page 34
tornado occurrences, but they are responsible for most of all
tornado fatalities and can stay on the ground for longer periods of
time. The size of a tornado is not necessarily an indication of its
intensity.
A brief tornado touchdown may leave as little as a few yards of
damage. A big tornado that stays on the ground can leave a path of
destruction over 50 miles.
There are about a thousand tornadoes every year in the United
States. While 74 percent of tornadoes are weak, they have a significant but reparable effect on humans and nature. The impact of the
remaining 26 percent can be much more substantial. Tornadoes are
different than other natural disasters, such as hurricanes, because
they are confined to a relatively small area (typically a few hundred yards wide). Hurricanes have more total energy but the energy density within a tornado can be much higher.
Although anywhere in the United States could be hit by a tornado,
certain areas are more likely to be affected than others. On the
great plains, the area known as Tornado Alley is well-known for
the amount of tornadoes that appear there. The high amount of
tornadoes is due to Tornado Alley's geographical positioning,
which means it frequently experiences the weather needed to make
a tornado. Tornadoes are more common at certain times of year;
for example, in the southern U.S., tornadoes are more likely to appear between March and May, whereas northern states get more
tornadoes during summertime. The destruction of these tornadoes
are rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale illustrated below. There are
also additional rating scales, such as the Tooro scale and others,
not shown here.
EF-0: Winds from 65-85 miles per hour. Light damage. Some
damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted
trees pushed over; sign boards damaged.
EF-1: Winds from 86-110 mph with possible moderate damage,
especially loss of shingles, mobile homes, and autos from tree
limbs.
Tornado - Page 35
EF-2: Considerable damage as a result of 111-135 mph wind.
Roofs torn off frame houses, mobile homes demolished, trees
snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF-3: Wind speeds of between 136-165 causes severe damage to
roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses, larger trees
uprooted, cars lifted off the ground and thrown.
EF-4: Devastating damage, 166-200 mph, well-constructed houses
leveled, cars and other large objects thrown which generates large
missiles.
EF-5: Incredible damage from
It appears the storm came
201-240 mph winds. Strong
up through Washington
frame houses leveled off
starting at South
foundations and swept away, cars
Cummings Lane, the
and automobile-sized missiles fly
Stonegate subdivision,
through the air long distances,
and headed northeast
trees debarked or leveled to
exiting out of the
stumps.
northeast end of town.
Washington, unfortunately, was
victimized by a EF-4 tornado.
Some sky shots are shown in this
chapter as evidence of the path
taken.
It’s very possible it may
have first re-touched
down in the woods,
commonly called Goat
Springs, a mile or so
southwest of South
Cummings Lane.
Tornado - Page 36
Here are some other
pictures (in no
particular order)
showing path marks
in neighborhoods and
fields where the
tornado had touched
down.
Tornado - Page 37
CHAPTER
4
Personal Stories
T
his chapter of the book is a collection of storm stories by some
people whose homes suffered severe damage or total
destruction. I realize they may have submitted these or similar
stories to other sources, but this will be my collection. To provide
the most accurate reports, these accounts are unedited.
It was a typical Sunday and most of our family (Scott, myself,
Hailey, and Morgan) was in church at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
in Washington. It was unseasonably warm that morning and
windy. It was reported that our area was to have high winds that
day. Our 17 year old daughter, Lindsey, was home with our dog
that morning.
At the start of the 11:00 service, Pastor Hanson instructed us to
head to the basement classrooms or choir room because a tornado
warning had been issued. Being sent to the basement is not
uncommon in the spring or summer but this far into autumn was
strange, but we went anyway. As we headed downstairs, my
husband Scott, sent Lindsey a text telling her to get to the
basement. She replied in typical teen form,”Why?” He then called
her and got her voice mail. He called her again this time reaching
her and instructing her to get the dog and go to the basement, as a
tornado warning had been issued.
From the church choir room, we couldn’t see anything or hear
anything. At 11:15 we were released to go back to the sanctuary.
As soon as we got in the sanctuary, my husband left to check on
Lindsey and Geordie, our Cockapoo. We were then sent back
Tornado - Page 38
downstairs and released about 10 minutes later. As we convened
to the sanctuary for the third time, a gentleman gave us an update
of the damage. He said that S. Cummings and Kern Rd area
received heavy damage. (That’s where we live.) Also hit hard was
Georgetown Common Apartments, Washington Estates, and
Devonshire neighborhoods. That was when I got scared. Then my
husband sent a text saying Lindsey and Geordie are fine but our
house had been hit. I kind of laughed and thought it was probably
just a few shingles. He came back to pick us up from church and
take us back home. Driving down Kern Rd, no damage was visible
until you got well in to the Timber Creek subdivision. The closer
we got to our house, the worse the damage got. Roofs missing,
windows blown in, siding missing, then houses missing. This was
unbelievable.
We turned down our cul-de-sac and saw what was left of our
house. There was debris everywhere. Our house was missing
most of the roof, many windows were broken, a garage door was
mangled, pieces of siding were missing everywhere. I was in
shock to see our home in such a state. The tornado had passed
right next to our house off the west side. The horse stable next to
our house was completely gone as were the 4 horses that lived
there. The fence around the pasture was down in many places.
There was a freezer in our yard that didn’t belong to us. Lumber
was strewn everywhere. Cars that were parked outside were
destroyed by flying debris or became flying debris. What a
nightmarish scene when everything was just fine an hour ago.
We found out that our daughter, Lindsey, had taken the dog to the
basement and went and sat on the couch in the TV room of our
basement. Then the glass started breaking in and it had gotten very
loud so she and the dog went and sat in the bathroom until it had
quieted down. Afterwards, she had left the house, very scared and
sock-footed, and ran carrying the dog because of all the glass
everywhere, to our neighbors Chuck and Sherrill West’s home.
There, they had a lot of the neighbors in their basement, so Lindsey
was not alone. When Scott arrived at our house to check on her,
Sherrill and her daughter, Samantha Young, were hanging a note
Tornado - Page 39
on our door saying Lindsey was at Sherrill’s house. That is where
Scott had collected her.
As we walked into our home, the floor was covered with glass,
insulation from the attic, miscellaneous debris, twigs, photos,
clothes. What a mess. From the great room on the main floor, you
can look up to the second floor balcony and see the girls’ rooms
and the missing roof. Morgan’s room and bathroom were totally
missing the roof. Hailey’s room still had a roof but no windows.
Lindsey’s room was missing a roof and windows. The tornado had
passed by Lindsey’s room. Funny thing, the guitar she had hanging
on her wall was untouched, as well as the two guitars in stands on
the other side of her room. Again there was debris all over the
floor. All of the furniture on the second floor received damage:
scratches, dents, water damage. Morgan had spent the last two
weekends hanging all her clothes in the closet and we had moved a
desk into her room. All of her clothes were sucked out the roof
and some were found hanging from the trees outside. Poor kid,
finally cleans up her room and a tornado strikes!
Our friends Russ and Linda Harrell had driven to our house and
invited us to stay with them for as long we needed to. So we
gathered up clothes, important documents, and valuables and
headed over and tried to reach our families out of town. The next
four or five days were spent packing up everything, moving
furniture to the dry garage, and trying to pick up photos off the
basement floor. We had an autumn wreath on our front door
which was blown off, came around the side of the house, and
sucked in to the basement through a broken window. Again
unbelievable. I thank Our Lord that Lindsey and Geordie were
safe. He had His hands wrapped around our entire town and most
of the homeowners had heard the warnings and were in the
basement or were in church at the time of the tornado.
We have received much help in recovering from this disaster.
Friends showing up to help pack and move furniture. Red Cross
with meals. Church volunteers helping clean up debris and cut
down fallen trees. We were overwhelmed with the amount of help
Tornado - Page 40
that came in our time of need. We have also received numerous
gift cards from friends, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, and strangers.
There are a lot of good people who came not only to our aid but to
everyone in our town.
Recovery and rebuilding have already begun and signs of new
construction are everywhere.
--The Avis family
Sunday, November 17 started off like most any other day. The sky
was mostly clear and non-threatening. The temperature was
tolerable so I chose to wear just a sport coat and trousers to church.
My wife, Elaine, was in Freeport, Illinois visiting her mother who
was on hospice and not expected to live more than a few days. I
had heard the weather report saying a dangerous storm was coming
our way, but since I saw no storm clouds I wondered if the
weatherman was just mistaken again.
With Elaine out of town, I decided to visit my friend’s church on
the south side of Washington. Church service started at 10:30 and
within 10 minutes the city’s civil defense siren was blowing.
Pastor Adam asked everyone to go downstairs and take shelter in
the reinforced area under the present sanctuary. Pretty soon that
area was so packed with people that I took a seat in the downstairs
hallway. Then someone with a smart phone came in and said a
tornado had gone through the John Bearce building. Noting
danger for the people in Washington, I shouted out to “Pray for the
tornado to lift up above all the homes in Washington”. Pastor then
lead everyone in the Lord’s prayer. I sensed a strong feeling that
the tornado had hit my home, so I left the church and drove home.
Driving home to 1310 Westminster Drive was easy until I got
within two blocks of the house. Trees and debris were all over the
Tornado - Page 41
street. Luckily I had driven our Subaru Forester, which made
driving over branches and making sharp 90 degree turns around
objects possible. When I arrived at my driveway I became shell
shocked. The house-part was mostly blown down on itself with
only two walls left partially standing. The attached garage was
gone. I could see none of our possessions that we had
accumulated over the 22 years of our marriage. What should I do?
I thought the first thing would be to call my wife and tell her of our
misfortune. I tried desperately to get my call out, but the cell
towers must have been down. Then I drove to the highest point I
could find in the city and eventually got my call through to my
step-daughter, Lisa, who was with Elaine on their way home from
Freeport. Hearing my news of our home being destroyed, Lisa
drove frantically to reach Washington. Luckily I was able to get a
call out to my sister, Linda, in Georgia and to my daughter, Amy,
in North Carolina. They both wanted to help.
I must get back to the house to see what can be saved, I thought.
As people congregated on the roads and streets, getting back to the
house was a little more difficult. People were flooding in from
everywhere, as news about the tornado hitting Washington was on
the radio non-stop. Some young men looked suspicious as they
cased the homes, and I felt an uneasiness to their manor. “Where
is everything we had, I asked”. I couldn’t see anything.
My two collector cars were moved from the driveway into the yard
and were smashed and coated with mud. My beautiful Kia Sedona
was still in the garage, but had boards driven through it, all
windows broken out, tree limbs inside, my fireplace chimney in the
drivers seat, and the lights were turned on. I turned the lights off
and wondered how that happened. Then I thought I heard music
playing from somewhere around my garage workbench.
Next, I turned my attention to my neighbors. Next door on our
right where David and Brenda lived, a crowd had assembled trying
to get Brenda out of the debris and to the hospital. She had fallen
into the “safe area” they had under the house in the crawl space.
On the left of our home, Jameson and his family were busy trying
Tornado - Page 42
to recover things. Across the street, Phil and Ella were walking
down the street, so I asked them how they were. They were both
still shaking. Phil said, “Dave, I’ve never been so scared in all my
life. We were huddled down in a closet in the middle of our home
and when the tornado had passed and we got up, the wood studs
around the area of the closet we were in were the only boards still
standing of our home. “Eeeks”, I thought. “Phil jumps out of
airplanes and if he was scared I know I would have been so scared
I would have not been able to have handled it.” The Oljace family
across the street had just been rescued from their basement and
they seemed unhurt. Their dog made it through OK but their cat
was found 2 days later at the home and was OK. Oh my, the
devastation. I sure hope Elaine gets home soon.
Elaine and Lisa and family finally arrived at the house about 3:30
p.m. Lisa’s daughter, Rachel, noticed water running in my upstairs
shower that was drooped over. I knew I had to get into the house
to shut off the water, or we would be looking at walking in water
in our lower level. Someone was there who suggested we kick in
the lower bedroom window. We did that and he slipped through
the window but couldn’t find the water shut-off. So, even with my
church clothes still on, I slid through the broken window and
turned off the water supply to the house. The house was growing
cold. Our lower level was filled with soda bottles and cans from
the lower level refrigerator and area around it, making it hard to
walk around very easily. Our rec room on the lower level was full
of mud, tree limbs, and glass. Elaine’s beautiful new sewing
machines were all mud and dented. Our DVD recorder was
severely damaged, and that model is not made anymore. It looked
like most of our books and picture albums were still there, but
were no doubt wet. “What can I do with all this damaged stuff?”, I
thought. “Where can I put it to be safe?” I had no answers.
We gathered as many important papers as we could find and left
the house for the evening, sensing the cold evening approaching
and not being dressed for the weather. Then we saw the National
Guard come in to secure the neighborhood. Elaine’s friend, Kay,
had called me on my cell phone offering a warm room to spend the
Tornado - Page 43
night. “Yes”, I said, “We would love to spend the night at your
home”.
That was Sunday, November 17, and now it was Monday,
November 18. I knew I needed to get back to the house. Arriving
in Washington around 8:15 am was easy until we met the “traffic”.
That’s right – tons and tons of traffic. People had streamed into
Washington all afternoon and evening on Sunday and the traffic
flow into town hadn’t changed any on Monday morning. When we
finally drove up to the Cruger Road and N. Main Street
intersection, the police had blocked the city off and said to come
back tomorrow. I had called some friends who had pickup trucks
to come and help me recover things, and they had to be told to turn
back, so that was a disappointment for me. We only had the one
small car now and life was getting a little more complicated. How
much could we recover and where would we put what we
recovered?
Crossroads United Methodist Church immediately distinguished
itself by opening to the public on Sunday and throughout the next
week or two. The Salvation Army along with the Red Cross and
many, many volunteers from all around the state and country came
to volunteer, serve meals, and be there to talk to the distressed.
Immediately insurance companies, state agencies, and others came
to Crossroads to set up and help. The church building was a hub,
or a mecca, of activity where you knew you could sit down, talk
with neighbors, get help, and get something to eat. It was a shining
star on a hill. A food pantry and clothing center were immediately
set up from donations that were now pouring in from all around the
country to Crossroads. The donation center was later moved to the
Sunnyland Plaza and still functions today.
Tuesday turned out to be another bad day for getting into the house
site. We decided to go to the Washington Post Office to get our
mail. Elaine and I drove uptown and parked. The city square was
nearly vacant of people and cars by noon.
After leaving the Post Office we looked up and saw two gigantic
FEMA straight-bed trucks turn into downtown. They must have
Tornado - Page 44
been 50 feet long. I couldn’t help but think how much money
these oversize trucks must have cost the taxpayers of Illinois.
Come to think of it, I never saw or heard of anything that came out
of those trucks. Volunteers, out of town churches, and companies,
however, did bring in much needed supplies for victims of the
tornado.
Wednesday turned out better. A team of friends gathered and we
recovered a few things. Someone again heard music playing and
located my garage radio still playing along happily on what, I
cannot say. Call it a miracle, we had no power and I had not put
batteries in that radio for over 15 years. My daughter, Amy, called
to say she had sent us a package that we could put up in our new
home. My sister Linda called to say friends of hers were sending
us money. Wednesday evening I received another phone call from
a friend who was a volunteer Chaplin for Samaritan’s Purse. She
said that a group could be at our home on Friday. We made plans
for Friday morning. Elaine and I moved to a hotel in East Peoria,
where our insurance company was also locating other neighbors.
By 9 a.m. Friday morning I began to wonder if anyone would
really show up. Then at 9:30 a large group appeared at our
neighbor’s home on the right side of our home. But would they be
able to help us? Then at 11 a.m. a group of 30 individuals finished
at my neighbor’s home and moved on to our home. It was so cold
that morning and I wondered how the volunteers could keep warm.
This group had a keen interest in praying with me and consoling
me on my loss. While some were pulling me off to pray, others
were lifting up debris, finding things, and carrying debris to the
street. Others were down on their hands and knees in the cold dirt
turning everything and every blade of grass over and finding our
valuable photographs, tools, jewelry, etc. and showing us what
they had found. The volume of retrieved things was growing, so
much in fact that we started loading pickup trucks with our
belongings. As the Samaritan’s Purse volunteers finished around 3
p.m. they called us all together for a little service. Being used to
praying in public, I opened with a prayer of praise, thanks, and
Tornado - Page 45
blessings to God for all that his angels had done for Elaine and me
this day. Then their leader spoke, telling of the work Samaritan’s
Purse does and ended with a prayer and a presentation of a Bible
that Billy Graham had prepared for victims receiving Samaritan’s
Purse help. I truly felt like I was walking on a cloud and that I had
just witnessed 30 angels who had personally touched my life and
Elaine’s life. Five friends with pickup trucks loaded up what had
been saved and we headed off for somewhere unknown, as I did
not have a rental storage unit to store our salvaged things. As we
drove west on Cruger Road, we stopped at AAA Storage and I
phoned them asking if I could rent a storage unit. The answer was
“yes”, but the owner needed me to come to his real estate office on
S. Main Street and sign a contract. So our group pulled into the lot
at AAA Storage and a friend and I drove up to complete the
details. Arriving back at the rental unit, I knew that I had just
experienced another miracle, as everyone in Washington who was
recovering things needed a storage unit to rent. After unloading,
we all called it a night.
I decided to go into Walmart to pick up a quart of oil for the car
and some dust masks. As I walked down one of the main aisles by
car accessories, I noticed a family with four young children had
stopped by a bargain bin of stuffed animals. The kids asked their
dad if they could have one. Dad looked at the animal and looked
at the price, then said it was too expensive. I remember raising my
children and how little purchases for the children like that were
always beyond my budget. It triggered something inside that
reminded me that I had just experienced a miracle today and that I
should pay forward part of that miracle to someone else. So I
spoke up to the father and asked if I could purchase each of his
children one of those stuffed animals. At first he said “NO”, but
when I overwhelmed him with the fact that I had just witnessed a
miracle in my life today and wanted to extend that to his family, he
finally accepted. Each child picked out a toy animal, and we
walked to the checkout to pay for their purchases, along with my
oil and dust masks. “What’s been wrong with me all this time?”
Tornado - Page 46
I asked myself. “Why haven’t I done this before?” The Spirit was
really working on me this day. Whew, what a feeling.
A few days later, my daughter’s package arrived. Amy had found
a very appropriate poem written by a 12 year old who had
experienced a similar loss. Amy put the poem on a canvas frame
with a picture of a disaster scene and an American flag. What an
appropriate gift to adorn our new home, whenever that might be.
This will be our reminder of the tornado that hit Washington and
changed our lives.
The following week went well, especially when a group of
Lutheran volunteers from Living Water Lutheran Church in Peoria
came to our home on Friday. They went through the house,
salvaging what was salvageable and carrying debris to the street.
Again by 3 p.m. we had a large goose-neck trailer filled with
recovered belongings out of the house and we needed a rental
storage unit. With no ideas of my own, Randy Bressner, one of the
group’s leaders, called a storage unit owner in Eureka and found a
place to take our “stuff”’. Whew, another miracle, as I felt so lost
without any place of my own to take our things. It was so apparent
to me how the Lord was watching over Elaine and me in the depth
of our tragedy. Now we could breathe for awhile and get ready for
the tasks before us of rebuilding, relocating, etc. But that is
another story yet to be finished.
People have been so kind and generous to us and to other victims,
I’m sure. Elaine and I have received numerous financial gifts to
help us through this crisis. The Lord is my Shepherd. What a
story we victims have to tell.
–David and Elaine Hullinger
Tornado - Page 47
November 17, 2013 started out as a normal Sunday. My wife and I
got ready for Church, drove six miles, attended the 8:15 a.m.
service, and afterwards had breakfast at our favorite restaurant.
Little did we know that within 40 minutes, the restaurant would be
only 100 yards from the path of a F4 tornado. I typically do not
worry about weather alerts. November 17th showed me that I need
to in the future.
A friend and I had agreed to meet at the ICC main campus at 10:30
a.m. We attended the semi-annual model train show. While there,
the rain and wind suddenly came up. Within minutes, it stopped as
if someone turned a faucet off. I had the dreadful feeling that
someone/somewhere was getting hit with severe weather. Power
was lost, and we waited in the dark for ten minutes. We decided to
leave after that, since it appeared ICC did not have back-up power.
On the way back to my home, my friend called me. His wife had
just called him and said Tazewell County/Washington area may
have been hit by a tornado. Since my house is located on the north
side of Route 24 off of North Cummings Lane, I could not see or
realize the devastation just ½ mile away. Upon arriving home, I
quickly realized we lost our electrical power. My wife/son/dog
had taken shelter in the basement. They showed me pictures of the
tornado they took while looking out the south kitchen window.
About 20 minutes later, my son received a text message. Cell
phone calls were not going through. A friend/family needed our
help. They had just lost their Georgetown apartment and most of
their possessions.
Two years ago, we were living on Devonshire Road. When we
moved to Washington in the early 1990’s, we were very fortunate
to find a babysitter only four houses away. The babysitter was also
watching her grandson. He and my son have been friends ever
since. The family in need was his family. My son drove his truck
down to the parking lot of the former Golden Corral restaurant.
There was the family, in shock, carrying what they could, along
Tornado - Page 48
with two cats and their dog. The mom and dad got into the cab,
while the boys and animals road in the back. It was good our
house was only 1 ½ miles away. It had been a long time since I
saw people in such a state of mind. The animals seemed in shock
too.
My wife and I had been busy while my son left to get the family.
We got out blankets, flashlights, batteries, radios, and water.
While my wife got them settled in, I got out of the garage the
portable generator set. I was able to alternate between the furnace
and keeping the freezer/refrigerators going for the next 3 days.
Initially we had to limit the amount of water we used, since our
neighborhood is on a common well system. Without electricity,
the pump would not work and the only water for the bathrooms
was in the holding tank. After the second day, a generator set was
set up to power the pump, so that the neighborhood could go back
to full use of the water. Everyone was thankful, since no one had
taken a shower for days. We were fortunate to have a three season
room in which we kept the cats and dog. I did have a container
and cat litter for the cats. The cat litter had been used to cover any
oil spills in my garage. One quickly finds out how small your
home is when two families and pets try living in it. On Monday, I
let the mom/dad use our car to make runs to their bank, and followup on a possible house rental. I took my truck to get supplies
(food/pet food/some clothes). The mom’s mother, my son’s
babysitter in the 90’s, home was not accessible initially, since her
home was so close to the devastation of the tornado, police were
initially not letting anyone down her street. On Tuesday, the
father/his oldest son/my son were able to get back to their
apartment and get out the remaining important ‘stuff’ (three large
garbage bags full), along with one of their vehicles. We spent an
hour cleaning out the front grille of the SUV. The tornado/winds
had packed very fine debris into the radiator area. Luckily there
was not damage to the radiator. I repaired the broken out driver’s
side window with plexi-glass and duct tape. Power came back
Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the family was able to get into the
Devonshire Estates area, and get moved in with the grandmother.
Tornado - Page 49
Her house had no damage and was only two blocks away from the
outer edge of the destruction. Our former home had only some
minor roof shingle damage. The family was able to find a house to
rent in the Washington area, starting in early December.
– The Jim Busch Family
Our November 17th Tornado story:
By Clark & Linda Smith
After returning from church we were relaxing with the newspaper, when
our electricity went off, and then the siren sounded, which got our
attention. Then, from upstairs, our weather radio said something about
“Washington… 11:05”, and it was 11:04 by my watch. Almost
immediately we heard an odd sound; I likened it to a street sweeper, but
Linda thought it was more of a roar. That sent us to the basement
immediately. Normally, I’d have gone to a window to see what was
happening; I’m sure glad I didn’t this time.
Seconds after reaching the basement, we heard more strange noises.
Pieces fell from the ceiling, the circuit breaker box disappeared out the
subfloor, and a part of the subfloor caved in. Luckily we were untouched
by any of this. The stairwell we’d just come down was clogged with
plaster, cabinets, and other debris. Water ran in and we could smell
gas… both from broken pipes. While I began digging out the stairwell,
Linda heard voices through the hole in the subfloor, and shouted for help
till someone heard her. Men came quickly and helped unblock the
stairwell, then lifted us out by our arms. We were stunned; until then we
had no idea that our house was GONE! Linda’s first shock was that our
neighbor’s houses were destroyed before it sank in that ours was too.
We saw pieces of appliances—ripped apart. Both of our cars had been in
the garage, but Linda’s was crumpled up in the back yard, and mine was
later found 3 blocks away upside down. I suspect it bounced and made
the hole in the subfloor. In all directions we saw nothing but destruction.
Later we saw a satellite image showing the storm centerline passing
directly over our house. Gulp!!
Tornado - Page 50
While wandering about dazed, I slipped, fell, tore my left rotator cuff, and
made three small cracks in a shoulder bone. That was our only injury, and
I’m healing well. (Later, I tried too hard to look for things on the
treacherous footing and fell again, so for two days I was forbidden to come
to the site. I understood the logic—I couldn’t resist doing risky things
while searching for stuff—but I felt awful that I wasn’t helping.)
Most cell towers were down, so we couldn’t call our family. A woman
from blocks away came through with a working cell phone, and let people
use it to contact family. She stepped on a nail, but kept on helping out.
Later, she invited us to her damaged home to rest and warm up; when she
heard me mention that I’d lost my reading glasses, she offered me a pair.
So for 2-3 days, I was the “Rhinestone Cowboy” with ladies glasses. I
didn’t care.
Once Linda reached her son John, he came quickly and gave us a home for
a couple weeks until we could move into a rental house a church friend
helped us locate. John’s wife Becca had picked up toiletries for us before
we got there. My daughter Karen had called our drugstore and ordered
prescription renewals for us. Our insurance agent tracked us down thru
Facebook contacts, and called to see if we were ok, then asked if he could
bring us some money. All of this happened within two hours of the
storm—on a Sunday. John and his brothers suffer from a genetic illness,
and can barely walk, yet John came to the site every day to sift thru the
rubble for our belongings.
There were many bizarre incidents. My desk and computer were never
seen again. Yet Linda’s computer was only a few feet away, but later was
found in the rubble. It has dings and scratches, but works fine. A small
microwave was sitting on top of a dorm refrigerator on the second floor.
We’re using the undamaged microwave daily, but the fridge was never
seen. Linda’s unzipped purse caught on a nail upside down, but lost no
contents; her cell phone was found later, and works fine. Both of our
Kindles were found, intact and turned on. Whole rooms of furniture
disappeared, but important photos were found next to the foundation.
Naturally, we lost some keepsakes, but they were more sad than lifechanging.
A bit of humor: We had only the clothing on our backs plus jackets we
found stuck on stubs of tree trunks. One night Linda remembered she had
done laundry recently but hadn’t put everything away. The next day she
found our dryer laying on its side. She got the door open and recovered
enough clean and dry whites to last for several days. She says she’s glad
she was lazy that time.
Tornado - Page 51
We’re gradually finding our way back to normal. Our insurance co.
treated us very fairly, and we’ve replaced both cars. We also have a
builder for a new home on our old lot; he had built our previous home. It
will probably be 15 months after the tornado before we can move in, but
the money part is ok. While we’re at it, we’re making the house more
suited to our age (e.g. our bedroom will be on the first floor).
Our basement contents survived, so we had enough odd pieces of
furniture to set up housekeeping. About all we’ve replaced are TV’s,
kitchen stuff, and our phone system. Linda’s done a very good job of
making our temporary dwellings feel like a home.
The worst single post-tornado challenge was the fiberglass and plaster
grit that permeated everything we recovered; even closed boxes and
bottles. It also got into our eyes and lungs, but we seem to have survived
that ok. Some other difficult parts were seemingly mundane; collecting
phone numbers for the new phone and learning how to change addresses
for all the medical, financial and tax stuff.
Among many acts of generosity, one family spent two days in the cold
collecting our clothing; they took it home, shook out the fiberglass and
grit, laundered forty nine loads, and took others to the dry cleaners. They
sorted and folded it and delivered it all to our new house. The
Laundromat manager knew they were helping a storm victim, and let
them run well over their large pre-paid credit. The wife knew that Linda
was fond of Vera Bradley blankets but had lost hers in the storm. By the
very next morning she had located a replacement, and gave it to Linda.
What a treasure to have such good friends.
· Other friends spent days picking through the rubble, and found
many treasures.
· Volunteers from churches and from other states simply showed
up to do likewise.
· Local volunteers simply appeared and covered the foundation
with tarps.
· An unknown family parked their pickup, and served hot
sandwiches to any who needed one.
· A family whose home was still useable opened their bathrooms
to all who needed one.
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·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Charitable groups drove through offering badly needed tubs,
boxes, rakes and shovels.
A local church collected donated food, and served hot meals to
all who showed up.
We’d never been to John & Becca’s church, but several families
from their church showed up and worked tirelessly.
A clinic sent people with gloves, safety glasses, and offers of
tetanus shots (boards with exposed nails were everywhere).
Linda’s cousin worked in the bitter cold to board up our
basement windows, hoping that the foundation might survive the
winter.
SAS Shoe Company brought a semi to a local church, and gave
anyone who showed up two pairs of professionally fitted shoes.
Men with heavy equipment pushed rubble to the curb, where
service people from Washington, Peoria and FEMA picked it up
and hauled it away.
There was even financial help to tide folks over;
· Walmart handed out gift cards through Washington City Hall,
· St. Vincent’s collected and donated furniture to those that needed
it.
· The Salvation Army gave out gas cards and arranged donations
and discounts via local stores.
· An industrial company named “MH Industries” donated a fund
large enough to give all who lost homes $500.
· The Red Cross reimbursed those who lost homes for their
insurance deductibles and for several months rental of storage
units.
I’m sure I’m missing some events, but even this was amazing.
We had to quickly rescue our things from the basement, so John rented a
truck and a storage unit; the truck folks gave a big discount, and the
storage rental folks gave the first two months free to storm victims.
Again, friends, family, and volunteers showed up to load, carry, and
move into the storage building. A group of young Mormon adults just
appeared and helped with this project. Later, when we moved into our
house, another group came to empty the storage unit while Linda and I
triaged what went to the house, and what stayed in storage. That day,
yet another friend brought a hot lunch to our house for the workers.
Again, what a treasure friends are.
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Once when we had a brief break, some tornado-displaced friends of
John’s were also moving into a rental house. So, rather than taking a
much-needed break, Linda and John’s family spent the day helping them
move. My arm was too damaged to do physical work, but again I felt
uncomfortable that I was unable to help give back some of what we’d
received.
A non-obvious victim of all this was the City of Washington. They are
spending many millions of dollars for recovery, debris removal, storm
sewer repairs and many other things. To make it worse, about 1000
homes will be removed from their tax rolls next year, putting a severe
hole in their revenue. In spite of this, the Mayor and city employees
have gone out of their way to be helpful and compassionate, and
regularly hold town meetings to keep us informed.
Later, people—by neighborhood—were invited to churches for a meal
and fellowship. It was a very nice event, and we could compare war
stories with some of our neighbors. Linda wanted us to wear
“Washington Strong” t-shirts because she was sure that everyone would
be wearing them. However, stores were sold out. A friend previously
from Washington said she could get them through her contacts, even
though she now lives in Florida. She ordered them and asked “Would
you mail them to my friend?” “No.” “Will you mail them if I get a
prepaid addressed mailer?” “Yes”. So she sent the mailer, they mailed
the shirts, and in a few days SHE got them, postage due. So off she went
to the post office, and we got them in time for the block party. When we
walked in, we were the ONLY ones wearing them—except for all the
official volunteer servers. The first three times people thanked Linda for
preparing such a nice party, she explained the story. After that, she just
smiled and said “you’re welcome”, and then passed the good wishes on
to the real helpers.
Do I have a take-home message to share? You bet—two of them:
1) Study home insurance, then read your policy and/or talk to your
agent about “extended replacement cost” home insurance. By
the way, your home contents might be valued at about 75% as
much as your house.
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2) If you have computers, you know backups are important. I had
backups, but they blew away too. Find some way, such as “the
cloud”, to store your files and photos off-site. I’d also suggest
storing your program CD’s in a fireproof box in your basement;
it’s very expensive to replace them all. A big one will also let
you protect records or jewelry.
I’m sure I’m forgetting many acts of generosity, but my strongest
memory of this awful experience is the family, friends, volunteers,
churches, businesses, and organizations that simply appeared to help us
and others with gifts of time, food, clothing, supplies, hard work, money,
and many other things. I’m more convinced than ever that God is good,
and people are good.
Occasionally when a disaster happens, some will ask “Why did God do
this?” or “Why did God let this happen?” In my opinion, God had
nothing to do with the tornado; it was an act of nature, not of God.
However, I’m equally certain that God helped us get through this
experience and worked in the hearts of those many, many people who
immediately showed up to help.
With God’s help we survived,
Clark & Linda Smith
1501 Kensington Dr., Washington, IL 61571
An old black and white TV series from the 1950’s called
The Naked City would start off each episode with the
phrase something like, “There are hundreds of stories in
the naked city; this is just one of them.” I would like to
re-phrase that to, “There are thousands of stories in
Washington; these were just a few of them.”
I appreciate those who took the time and effort to put
these stories together for this book. Thank you all.
Tornado - Page 55
CHAPTER
5
Help, Heroes and Hope
I
nitially I was reluctant to mention people, groups of people or
agencies, that helped after the storm, because I knew I would
forget some and fail to mention them. For those missing from this
account I apologize. But I will include here those helpers, and in
some cases what I would call heroes, in recognition of them and
countless others who had an impact on the cleanup after the storm.
Before getting into the help, heroes and hope, following is the
latest information (as I send this to proofreaders in early
December, 2014), on the Central Illinois tornados.
There were at least 25 tornados in Illinois on November 17,
including 10 in Central Illinois. This was the fourth-worst outbreak
since 1950.
Twisters hammered Pekin, East Peoria and rural Roanoke and
plastered Washington with a near knock-out blow.
Pekin's storm was an EF-2 (120 mph), traveled a distance of almost
three miles, was about 100 yards wide, and damaged around 200
homes. It started near Mapleton, skipped over the Illinois River,
and then touched down around 10:55 in the Pekin area. It only
traveled about three miles but did serious damage. Unfortunately,
it spawned the resultant tornados to come.
Just a few minutes later, East Peorians suffered the loss of about 60
homes, where the twister was not only spinning much faster than
the Pekin tornado, but at times was a half-mile wide--nine times
wider than the Pekin twister. This twister headed northwest and
continued to Washington.
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The Washington storm had touched down and traveled over 46
miles. The Washington tornado eventually went into Woodford
County where 52 homes were damaged, 16 of which were
destroyed. After traveling over farmland near the city of Roanoke,
the storm traveled about another 20 miles and finally wore out near
Long Point in LaSalle County.
Residents of Joliet reported finding photos, documents, keepsakes
and other items blown 100 miles from Central Illinois.
When Washington Mayor Gary Manier first went out to survey
damage, he commented he had no idea where he was. Without
homes, addresses, or other landmarks, it was easy for a person to
get confused on exactly where they were. Later comments by the
Mayor were:
• These residents are resilient and they'll pick themselves up
and rebuild.
• The spirit of the community is second to none.
• We're going to pick up the pieces.
By the afternoon of November 17, chain saws, tree trimmers and
other handy tools were busy at work in Pekin and East Peoria. But
Washington wasn't thinking about chain saws and such, they were
thinking on a grander scale–they were thinking bulldozers.
Scams and Looters
Unfortunately, even in a time of disaster such as this, there are
those who wish to take advantage of others. Washington Chief of
Police Volk warned the public about possible scams that often
occur during times of relief efforts. For example, so-called
"inspectors" who will try to encourage homeowners to take
advantage of "special offers" for repairs. It was stressed that
homeowners register with FEMA as soon as possible. FEMA
agents will then call first to make an appointment and also show
proper credentials.
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Tragically, there were also looters; those who want to take
advantage of other people’s misfortunes. I lost tract of how many,
but I believe at one time there were seven individuals arrested.
Charges against some of them were eventually dropped, but others
were held and sentenced. Portable lighting systems were placed
around the city. This lighting was beneficial for cleanup crews to
work into the night, but also helped deter further looting.
Heros
Many who experienced loss could name countless heroes and hero
stories. They most likely didn’t look like heroes. Heroes seldom
do.
Relief workers can get very tired and hungry. Many agencies
provided food for the workers. Two ladies from Peoria set up their
Nacho Mama's traveling food truck and fed workers with delicious,
free food.
First Baptist Church of Washington provided hot meals for storm
victims and also arranged for a major shoe company to come to
their church and provide free shoes for adults and children.
Hundreds of pairs of shoes were given out. The church also
provided shelter and food for many workers.
Within a few days of the tornado, Crossroads United Methodist
Church (UMC), Salvation Army, and many contributing
restaurants, churches, businesses and volunteers, provided over
30,000 hot meals for Washington's needy Some helped supply
sleeping quarters.
The Heart of Illinois United Way was another organization that
accepted donations for storm victims.
The Tazwood Center for Wellness offered educational groups to
assist families and individuals with counseling services and
assistance in identifying needed resources after the storm. All at
no charge.
St. Patrick's Parish was one of many locations that became relief
centers for food, clothing, and housing assistance.
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Over 350 Washington Community High School students went out
into the community and helped debris clean up, tornado shelter
work, asked for donations, and assisted with daycare duties for the
Washington Park District. Within a month of the disaster over
$125,000 had been received. These funds were dispersed to
student's families and school staff who were displaced.
Springfield Sacred Heart Griffith, the Washington football team's
next opponent (in the state championship final four), paid for
busses to come to Washington and pick up fans. As the busses
passed through Morton on the way to Springfield, riders were
stunned to see hundreds of Morton fans lining the streets, dressed
in orange, displaying signs, and wishing the Panthers good luck.
Before the game, SSHG provided food for the Washington team.
After the game, food was provided for the team and 500 loyal
Washington football fans.
On December 4, fourteen members of the Chicago Bears addressed
the Washington football team and offered encouragement. They
then toured some of the neighborhoods that were hit hard by the
tornado. Some of the most notable Bear members were Devin
Hester, Tim Jennings and Robbie Gould.
Johnny Burnett and Friends played a Beatles tribute on February 9.
All proceeds were dedicated to victims of the tornado.
A Washington town meeting was held on February 13 at the
Caterpillar Performing Arts Center at Five Points. There was a
large turnout of those affected by the tornado. There was a
$250,000 donation to the Salvation Army from the His First
Foundation of Mossville based MH Equipment Company. The
money was used for gift cards for storm victims. The Salvation
Army was selected for the distribution because they are a faithbased organization. At this point in time, more than $800,000 in
tornado relief had been received by the Salvation Army. Those
who lost their homes received $500 gift cards with no questions
asked.
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Four Methodist Church congregations in Central Illinois worked
together and organized Hope Swings as a mission project. Youth
groups from many states worked on building 100 swing sets for
families with young children who had lost their homes.
The International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES) from
Noblesville, Indiana, helped build new sheds for some of the
affected Washington residents. The nine people worked from
March 17 through March 21, and built over one shed a day.
Many Washington businesses along with the Washington Chamber
of Commerce held a business recovery spaghetti dinner fundraiser
on April 7. This was held at Bernardi's Restaurant.
The Washington Rotary Club members, and many Rotarians from
other towns, dug up glass-shards and tainted soil from Harry
LaHood Park.
Threads, Hope and Love had a special room with donations for
tornado victims.
Helpers
It was truly amazing to see how much help arrived, how soon it
arrived, and all the various forms of help.
Insurance companies immediately set up temporary offices (via
trailers) in the Cherry Tree shopping center parking lot. They also
set up tables in Five Points.
In addition to enlarged work crews working around the clock,
utility companies had tables in Five Points so it was possible to
talk to homeowners face-to-face.
The Red Cross was very visible by having staff at Crossroads, Five
Points, and other locations.
Police units from around the area helped in every way imaginable.
Blockading streets, watching for potential looters, directing traffic,
and even enforcing nighttime curfews, in what was also described
by some as Marshall Law, for at least one day.
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The Big R store of Washington, along with Procter & Gamble Pet
Care, teamed up to provide a large pet food donation. P&G
donated more than 20 tons of dog and cat food, which was housed
and distributed by Big R.
The Heart of Illinois United Way was another organization that
pitched in and volunteered to accept donations for storm victims.
Individuals with chain saws were busy cleaning up downed trees.
Street sweepers were piling up debris and getting rid of destructive
nails, boards, glass and metals.
With the help of Bethany Community Church, a group of 119 high
school students from Marquette High School in Chesterfield,
Missouri and 18 adults spent time from their spring break to help
with clean-up operations. The logistics of housing that many
volunteers was solved when Faith Lutheran Church in Washington
agreed to provide the necessary lodging and the kitchen for
preparing meals. Marquette workers also helped clean-up after
Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin, Missouri tornado. A
spokesperson from the Marquette volunteers stated that
Washington disaster relief efforts were very well organized.
Many people were feeling depressed after FEMA assistance either
became non-existent or very difficult to work with. Claims were
being denied. Mayor Manier worked with state officials and
obtained funds for cleanup, road repairs, etc.
There were many locations around town where clothing and
money could be donated.
For a donation to the American Red Cross, the Sunnyland Cinema
offered free movies, popcorn and soft drinks.
A Boy Scout troop came all the way down from Sycamore,
Illinois, to help clean up debris, mostly on Eagle Street. They gave
up a fun camping trip to get dirty in helping others in need.
Tornado - Page 61
On November 27, Congressman Aaron Schock hosted a
Community Fellowship Thanksgiving Luncheon at Five Points.
The free hot meal was open to tornado victims, first responders and
volunteers. The purpose was to pull everyone together, fellowship,
and a break from the hard work of cleaning up. It was announced
that the Chicago Blackhawk Charities will donate $200,000 to
underwrite the cost of the luncheon and help the victims and their
families recover from the tragedy.
Hope
On February 9, about 880 Washington families gathered at 11
different block parties where they could reconnect with lost
neighbors and share their storm stories. I’m not sure whose
tremendous idea this was but I do know the Washington
Ministerial Association, the Washington Chamber of Commerce,
and the City of Washington were instrumental in the organization
of the event (which was repeated at a later date.) What a terrific
display of hope for the future. Locations for the block parties
were: Crossroads UMC, Calvary Evangelical Mennonite, Connect
Church, First Baptist, Grace Bible, Bethany Community, Faith
Lutheran, St. Mark’s, Sunnyland Christian, Evangelical United
Methodist, and Washington Christian.
The Washington Ministerial Association sponsored Camp Noah
for a week beginning on March 31. Camp Noah is a program of
Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota and is a day camp that
offers children an opportunity to play, process, and heal from their
disaster experiences. Each child wrote down their stories and
memories of the storm; how it affected them, what they lost, what
pets they may have lost, etc. Counselors then spent time with each
child using their stories as a form of hope and encouragement.
This Camp Noah team was mostly from the Chicago area. Their
five overnight stays were at Faith Lutheran in Washington.
Tornado - Page 62
Operation Photo Rescue was made available to storm victims.
Households affected by the storm could bring up to 20 photographs
to the Washington District Library were volunteers would help
restore damaged photos free of charge. The library also provided
free children’s books to younger children.
A Realtor® relief fund provided up to $2,000 of grant money for
those affected by the tornado.
Again, I apologize for any individuals or organizations I have not
included here.
Tornado - Page 63
CHAPTER
6
Months Later…
The Road to Recovery
N
ow that we’ve recognized those helpers, heroes, and the
beginning of hope, let’s take a quick look at what has
happened in just a few months after the tornado. The pictures
captured here were all taken in March, 2014. They show the quick
progress of many homes already being replaced or repaired. As I
drove around neighborhoods, I rolled my car windows down so I
could hear activity. How great the sounds I heard. No matter
where I went I could hear large power saws cutting wood,
workmen talking, and the rat-a-tat-tat of hammers. The
transformation of Washington was beginning again; a welcome
transformation this time. On page 12 I mentioned Washington was
a tarp city. Now it is becoming Tyvek city, a good start toward
repairs or new home construction. It’s very likely some readers
may recognize the beginnings of their new homes in this
collection.
No words should be necessary here. Just view the pictures.
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…the old has passed away,
behold the new has come.”
--2 Corinthians 5:17
Tornado - Page 67
With these last few pictures showing the welcome progress around
the city, I felt it was a good point to close this book and put it
down. If I continued to add to this book, the question then
becomes when and where do I finally draw the line and conclude
the project?
Almost through 2014 seems to be a good stopping point. I hope
you enjoy this, one person’s personal account of the horrific
tornado that touched down in
Washington, Illinois, November 17,
2013.
I thank you for reading my book.
Tornado - Page 68
Epilogue
Much more has happened to the community since these last pictures
from March, 2014. There are now many more pictures, articles,
personal stories, etc., most of which can be found on various Internet
web sites. And most important, families moving back in.
I feel I accomplished my goal of providing my own documentation,
pictures and reflections, about the tornado of 2013; how it affected
the city of Washington, how help arrived and in what forms, many
pictures which can’t be found elsewhere, and the beginning of the
recovery.
I hope readers will appreciate this mini-book. What started as just
documenting some information for myself turned into a project to
share with anyone who wishes to view and/or print it.
It’s estimated that 75% of homes affected will be rebuilt by year-end
2014. 2015 promises even greater progress. Let’s all look to the
future of the city as we continue to become stronger.
I’ll conclude with mentioning that if anyone desires a particular
picture or pictures from this book, just email me. Or, just send me
an email and let me know what you thought of this project.
Ron Millard
ronmillard1@comcast.net
Tornado - Page 69
Author Bio
Ron is married and lives in Washington
with his lovely wife Norma and Rusty
the wonder spoiled dog. Between them
they have six children, 20 grandchildren,
and 14 great grandchildren with two
more waiting to make their grand
appearance.
He has written three other books, each on historical subjects:
• History of the Peoria YMCA Weightlifting Team;
(1962-1975)
• Ron Millard’s Four Hundred Best Chess Games
• Twenty-Five Year History of the Via de Cristo Movement
In addition, he is working on two other works, one a science
fiction story set in Egypt and the other an interesting novel of a
group of students from a small school in Ohio starting in preWWI.
Other activities include working out, playing chess, teaching
chess lessons, travel, photography, classical music (including
some opera), converting old film and video tapes to DVD, and
custom software development for small businesses and
organizations.
Some accomplishments include becoming a world weightlifting
champion (2012, Lviv, Ukraine) in the master’s division,
excelling in chess tournaments and attaining a near expert
national rating, and having sold some of his best photography.
During the winter months he likes staying inside as much as
possible, which provides the time to enjoy his activities. And
during the warmer months, well, he likes staying inside as much
as possible, which provides the time to enjoy his activities.