Tornadoes tore through two rural communities in Central Illinois Thurs. night. Gov. Bruce Rauner, emergency management officials and local politicians are saying it's a "miracle" no one was seriously hurt or killed.
Residents and volunteers in Tazewell County were outside clearing debris on Friday afternoon. More than 50 properties in Delavan were impacted by the storm. Gavin Sturch got into his pickup truck and sped over from Lincoln this morning when he heard the tornado blew through his grandmother’s front yard.
“I was pretty worried because they had parts of the road blocked off, couldn’t get into town," Sturch said. "So I kinda had to walk a little ways, and the farther I got toward the neighborhood, the worse it got.”
Rauner and emergency management officials toured neighborhoods and met with residents affected by the storms.
“The folks from the national weather service are here assessing the storm itself and its impact," Rauner said. "We at the state stand ready to do everything we can to help bring state resources to bear, as Delavan works to recover from this tragedy.”
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency determined six homes in Delavan were completely destroyed and 15 are not reparable.
The governor also visited Cameron, a Warren County town of about 600 people, to assess damage. No serious injuries were recorded there, though IEMA workers searched through the night.