On Tuesday, Gov. Quinn added Douglas, Jasper, Pope, Wabash, Wayne and Will counties to the list of disaster areas. On Monday, he declared Champaign, Grundy, LaSalle, Massac, Tazewell, Washington and Woodford counties state disaster areas.
The counties were all in the path of a strong storm that spawned at least two EF4 tornadoes with wind gusts of up to 120 mph. Tornadoes touched down in Coal City and Diamond in Grundy County, Ill. The hardest hit was Washington, Ill., where 500 homes were damaged and destroyed. It could be months before everyone has power once again.
Gov. Quinn toured some of the devastation on Monday. "While the recovery will be long and hard, we will work in the coming days, weeks and months to assist these communities and help the people who live there rebuild their lives," he said.
Quinn suggests donating to charities and organizations because the tornado-ravaged towns are still being secured. Volunteer information for specific areas is listed below. For more information visit Ready.illinois.gov for information on specific sites that can utilize volunteers.
Gifford (Champaign County). American Red Cross-Central Illinois chapter, (217) 351-5861.
Coal City (Grundy County). Coal City High School, Mr. Rich Kapinus, (815) 207-0926.
Washington County. No need for volunteers or donations at this time.
City of Washington (Tazewell County). Call (309) 573-4035.
