Emergency officials in Fulton County say they’re still getting a handle on the scope and severity of the damage caused by Tuesday night’s severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Fulton County Director of Emergency Management Chris Helle said the towns of Table Grove, Lewistown and Bryant sustained damage, with Bryant experiencing the most severe hit from the storms.
“We’re working to make sure we understand where all the damaged area is,” said Helle. “We’re working with the National Weather Service. Buckheart Fire Department is the lead agency on the damage assessment, and resource coordination and management. Sheriff Webb is in charge of road closures.”
Helle said the county is aware of four injuries, one of them critical, following the storms. There are no reported fatalities at this time.
Residents of Lewistown worked to clear fallen branches and find lost mailboxes to reattach Wednesday afternoon.
Downed power lines, broken signs and twisted grain bins litter the fields between Bryant and the north end of Lewistown. More than a dozen line work trucks from various power companies were staged at Lewistown Junior/Senior High School, with several teams already hard at work a little further up the road.
You can see a 360-degree drone photo of the damage in Lewistown and Bryant here.
Around 300 homes in Bryant are still without power.
“The power has been restored to the prison in Canton,” Helle said. “We do not have an estimation on a restore time for the Bryant area.”
Bryant also is under a boil order and an emergency water conservation order. In the meantime, Bryant residents can find resources at the village hall at 105 E. Main Street. There's also a hotline at (309) 402-1468.
“The mayor has opened that up with the Salvation Army for charging cell phones and getting things set up,” Helle said. “There's food and water supplies there, so if residents and the community need something they can go to the village hall.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Illinois Route 100 between Illinois 97 north of Lewistown and Illinois 78 south of Canton is closed. The Illinois Department of Transportation said it’s expected to reopen by the end of the day Thursday.
In general, Helle stressed that people should avoid the area.
“We’re asking people to stay home, stay away from the area,” he said. “We do not need volunteers at this time. We do not need donations at this time.”
