Monday to mark anniversary of deadly Illinois tornado outbreak
WASHINGTON, Ill. (WLS) -- Monday will mark one year since a rare deadly November tornado outbreak swept through central Illinois. Communities that were hit the hardest are still recovering, including Washington, Coal City and Diamond, Illinois.
The devastation left behind was hard for residents to comprehend and the rebuilding process has been especially difficult.
Washington suffered the most damage. Three people died, hundreds of homes were either damaged or destroyed and recovery efforts continue a year later.
The American Red Cross says it is still addressing nearly 500 cases.
On a Sunday night a year ago, streets in Washington were impassable, filled with layers of debris from houses that were no more. Remarkably, a year later those homes have beeb built anew. Washington marks the anniversary of the destruction looking forward, as it also looks back.
Two days after the tornado hit, Dave and Vicki White, and their son Paul, see for the first time what's left. Their home of 35 years, and many of their belongings, are gone with the wind. They are lucky to be alive.
"Pretty amazing actually that our neighbors all around us walked out," Vicki White said.
Four months later, most of the ruble was gone, but the emotion still raw.
"You see it on the news," Dave White said. "You see it happen to other people. When it happens to you..."
Where the White house stood was temporarily a hole in the ground. Dave and Vicki now have a new home. Bigger, stronger and they love it.
"It's a new beginning. It's a new way of life," Vicki White said.
But to get to this point, they had to start all over.
"And you stop and think, everything is gone, you have to replace, and basically we did. We started from square one and built it up to where we are now," said Dave White.
The Whites are not alone in their new beginning. The rebuilding of Washington is nothing short of astounding. The EF4 tornado that defaced this town destroyed or damaged over 1,100 homes. Over 800 are being repaired or built anew. And that number will grow.
"I think it's just the community," home builder Isaac Davis said. "We got the right people for the job. We have professionals around. It's just a good area."
The mayor is Washington's self-proclaimed No. 1 cheerleader, but even he is amazed. While other towns ravaged by tornadoes have lost population, Washington may actually gain residents.
"I'm hoping it's going to be an increase after year two, and if not, I'm hoping it breaks even," said Washington Mayor Gary Manier.
Perhaps this rebirth is due to a mix of pride, resilience, faith, and overwhelming support from thousands who don't live here, but wanted to help. Dave and Vicki White were helped in many ways.
One of their family photos was carried by the wind 100 miles away, found by a Lemont kindergartner and returned to the Whites through Facebook.
"The teacher sent it down to us and all the kids wrote us notes with it saying they were sorry our house was blown away. It was wonderful," Vicki White said.
The images will never be erased from their memories, but the Whites remember with both sadness and humor. After being helped out of the wreckage of his home, Dave instinctively put his cell phone, charger, and keys in his pocket.
"I thought, 'Well, I got my car keys, I've got a key to the house, but I have no house, no cars. They're all gone,'" he said.
They have a house now. And from the remains of their old home, they recovered an undamaged metal sign. "Give thanks," it reads. In their home it will always have a place of prominence.
Candle burns through Washington tornado destruction
The sermon at Our Savior Lutheran on Sunday focused on a second coming, preparedness and faith.
"A year later, it's still hard to get a grasp on what we saw that day," said church member Nathaniel Riehl.
Our Savior was right on the edge of the worst of it. Sixty people in service ran to the basement and huddled next to cinder block walls.
"I got downstairs in time to see our storage shed go flying away and the basement door burst open," church member Gary Marshall said.
No one in the church was hurt, but as they walked out the doors, all they saw was devastation. The sanctuary was in disarray.
"All the sheet music was just strewn around, leaves and branches, but the eternal candle was still burning," Marshall said.
A regular candle with deeper meaning was unaffected by an EF4 tornado. Here they say it was divine intervention and they are thankful for that, as well as human intervention.
Part of Washington's strong spirit has come from a seemingly endless supply of volunteers who have traveled from as far away as New York, California, and even Alaska to help.
"We have different purposes for why we come and want to do something, but I think the commonality is when you see someone afflicted, you want to do something," said Rev. Ben Davidson, Bethany Community Church.
Bethany Community Church is one of the agencies coordinating the volunteer effort. They alone calculate 13,000 volunteer days.
"The biggest thing we've got out of this is that our faith in humanity has been returned," Jeff Taylor said.
Jeff and Mindy Taylor lost their home a year ago. This week they moved into their new one. Home at last after a journey helped by others.
"The outpouring of love and support we've had, it's just a good feeling to know there's just a lot of really good people in the world," Mindy Taylor said.
There is a sense in Washington that for some, it is cathartic to talk about it, while for others it is simply too emotional. The sentiment seems to be to look forward and not back.
Signs of devastation remain with rebuilding efforts in Coal City, Diamond
There is still construction going on for families who lost their homes in last year's destructive tornado, while others are back in the neighborhood, and back to normal.
Signs of the devastation remain almost a year to the day since an EF-2 tornado ripped through Grundy County's Coal City/Diamond community, along with many more of new construction.
Scott Hammitt was out on the roof of his family home in Diamond Estates Sunday night putting up the Christmas lights, a tradition he likes to get done early.
"I had them up last year. They didn't last very long," he said.
Not only are the lights new, so is most of the house. A year ago Monday, on November 17, an EF-2 tornado swept through part of Grundy County, devastating the Hammit's home and their neighborhood.
Twelve months later the Hammits are back, but their next door neighbors, the Elliots, are not. Their house was a complete teardown and is taking longer to rebuild.
"It's been difficult," Jennifer Elliot said. "The time that we've put in, that everybody's put in to help us, has taken a toll. Things have been pushed aside sometimes."
Both families were among those who turned out at Coal City's high school Sunday to commemorate the anniversary, and to thank all of those who had a hand in the recovery effort.
"We can never take away the bad memories that those impacted will have, but we can give them a good memory today reminding them of the thousands who through their deeds and their prayers helped them to recover," said Diamond Mayor Teresa Kernc.
Over 100 buildings, including businesses and homes, were damaged in the area, but thankfully there were no fatalities and only a handful of injuries. It is that knowledge that puts things into perspective for those whose lives are still not back to normal.
"It is what it is. You're going to march on in life with whatever you have that's going to happen to you. That's what we try to focus on," said Eliot.
ABC7 Eyewitness News will revisit the communities and people hardest hit when coverage continues Monday morning starting at 4:30 a.m.
