Governor Jim Edgar, who visited the area on Wednesday afternoon, declared Marion a state disaster area. According to the Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster Agency, GTE, Marion Memorial Hospital, Marion city officials and CIPS, approximately 40 vehicles mere either damaged or destroyed; 45 homes mere leveled, 57 living units destroyed and about 30 homes received major damage to the structures. About 250 homes sustained minor damage. Anywhere from 60 to 75 cars were damaged from the severe flooding and 73 cars sustained minor damage. Sixteen people were treated at Marion Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. One person was admitted with possible head injuries. About 750 customers were without electricity and about 500 customers were without phone service.
Over seven inches of rain in less than a 24 hour period caused large scale flooding issues throughout the area.
The following are articles that appeared in the Marion Daily Republican from the following day of the 20th thru the 22nd.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning Came Too Late, 11/20/1991, by Bob Wick
A severe thunderstorm warning wasn’t issued last night by the National Weather Service in Paducah until 5:25 p.m., several minutes after the tornado ripped through the southwest part of town.
Bob Watson, meteorological technician for the National Weather Service in Paducah, said that the warning was in effect until 6 p.m. and covered all of Hamilton County, the northwestern part of Saline County and the northeastern section of Williamson County.
Watson said that Ray Williams, who is officer in charge of the NWS, was headed to Marion today to confirm whether it was a tornado or a microburst.
No tornado warning was issued during the entire event. The reason for this, Watson said, was that it wasn’t reported by any official law enforcement agency. Before a tornado warning could be issued, it has to be visually spotted by someone other than a member of the general public. A warning would have come out of the Paducah office.
Michael Colclasure, who lives near Route 37 one mile south of Marion, actually witnessed the funnel cloud. “I was looking out the front window when I saw it coming from the south, Colclasure said, “It just went straight across. Right before I saw it, the hail quit and it got real calm and then it sounded like a freight train.”
Sirens located on top of the City Hall were not activated, Mayor Robert Butler said, because no warning was issued by the NWS.
Butler said that the quickness of the storm most likely would have prevented people from being able to take cover any quicker.
Watson said the only way the warning would have made a difference would depend on where people were when they heard it and how quickly they could react.
He said the radar which the NWS uses currently could not have located a tornado in the storm cells.
When asked if Doppler radar, a more sophisticated form of radar, could have spotted the storm, Watson said “I wouldn’t touch that with a ten foot pole.”
Marion City Hall Serves as Command Center, 11/20/1991, Rob Wick
Emergency efforts during last night’s tornado were coordinated at the Marion City Hall.
Marion Police Chief Ron Swafford and Assistant Chief Thomas Litton headed efforts until Mayor Robert Butler and City Commissioner David Hancock arrived.
An offer was made by the Illinois National Guard to send units in to help prevent looting, but Butler said he didn’t think it was necessary.
The scene at the police department was both ordered and confused.
Two dispatchers were working the police radio, sending officers to different scenes to handle traffic and other emergencies.
The phone was ringing an average of every 10 seconds with people wanting to know if certain streets were open or passable.
Police delivered a very special package to the Marion Memorial Hospital. According to officers, a pregnant woman was rushed to the hospital just before giving birth. Officials from Marion Memorial confirmed that a woman did deliver last night, but couldn’t confirm that she arrived just in the nick of time.
Even though the city had no emergency plan in the ready, Hancock said the plan formulated after Iben Browning made his earthquake prediction last year was also put into preparation.
Radio communication was hampered as both the Marion Fire Department and the Williamson County Sherriff’s Department towers were knocked down. Police and firemen were using portable radios provided by local dealers to keep in touch.
Butler said operations were smooth and said much of that was due to the preparation plans formulated after the 1982 tornado. “Our personnel are well trained and are doing what needs to be done,” Butler said.
Calls for assistance came from as far away as the nation’s capital. U.S. Representative Glenn Poshard, who was in Washington at the time of the tornado, made a call to Butler to see if anything was needed from federal officials.
Butler said earlier in the evening he didn’t think an emergency declaration would be coming anytime soon, adding that most people had insurance to cover their losses. He added that decision would be made after the devastation was fully surveyed.
Storm Rips Wilson Gym, 11/20/1991, Daniel Wallenberg and Shannon Woodworth
A remarkably calm group of coaches, athletes, maintenance workers and school officials surveyed the damage caused by severe winds Tuesday at Marion High School.
The girls’ basketball team was conducting practice and the wrestling team going through drills when windows began 10 shatter and the building rumble.
Joe Elliott, head coach of the girls’ basketball team, said he and assistant coach, Mike Manfredo, were conducting a regular practice when things began to happen.
First the glass doors on the southeast corner of Wilson Gym exploded sending shards of glass across the practice floor of the gym. Elliott, worried that the same thing would happen at the other corners of the gym, rushed his team to the southwest exit away from glass doors. Then, on the east side of the gym, the roof was ripped away and the entire school was without power. Not until the high winds subsided did Elliott allow the players to move to locker room facilities for additional safety.
Dan Edwards, assistant wrestling coach, was holding practice in the physical education gyms where the windows, high above the mats, exploded under pressure.
Edwards, filling in for head coach Roger Minton who is recovering from knee surgery, instructed the kids to leave the gym when the sirens in the school were sounded.
The wrestling team went to the main corridor of the school before firefighters took over and directed the athletes to the hall near Wilson Gym. Both coaches said their athletes performed miraculously under the pressure.
Manfredo’s 4-month-old, pick-up truck was parked on the east side of Wilson Gym. It was demolished when wind blew Marion senior wrestler Mark Ward’s car into the truck, severely damaging both vehicles. “Nobody was hurt,” Edwards said. That is the amazing thing. “We were going through drills,” he said. “We heard a loud burst and then the windows shattered.”
Edwards, along with several other coaches and players who had their cars in the parking lot, also had his Oldsmobile Cutlass damaged. Edwards thinks it was Athletic Director Larry Jenkins’ car that was forced into his car by the tornado.
Dale Edgell, a maintenance worker who has been with the high school for five years, said he was in the cafeteria when all the commotion began. “I was in the cafeteria when I heard a loud noise,” Edgell said. “I got under a table. I then came out into the hall and went to my truck and got a light. I then went to find the coaches to start checking on the kids.”
William Mitchem, another maintenance worker who was working in the main corridor of the high school, said the winds whipped through the building at what he estimated at 35 mph. “Things were flying everywhere,” he said. “Trash cans, debris, you name it.”
The double doors, near the main office, were blown with such force that they were kinked after being forced in the opposite direction they normally open. Mitchem said after the winds subsided, he went to check on the coaches and athletes. “We headed to get the kids to safety,” Mitchem said.
Elliott said the girls on his team were calm during the whole situation. “His kids stayed calm and did a great job,” Elliott said. “They were more under control man we were.”
Richard “Dick” Sanders, Marion Unit 2 District Board of Education member, said lack of injury was a blessing. “I couldn’t imagine that kind of damage so quickly,” Sanders said. “I’m extremely pleased with the handling of the situation by coaches and the urgency in which they did it. I think they saved a lot of injury.”
Marion principal LeRoy Anderson was at the school trying to find a generator to supply power to the darkened mess. He and other school officials were cool and collected in trying to get things under control.
School officials were reluctant to cancel classes today but that decision was made for them by Public Health and Safety Commissioner David Hancock, who ordered classes closed early today.
Glass, mud and other debris were strewn across the entire gymnasium. Water was cascading down the bleachers, pushed snugly against the east wall. Buckets, trash cans and anything that could hold water were futilely placed under several areas of the facility trying to limit the damage. Practice dummies, used by the football team, were scattered in every direction when the glass doors of the southeast entrance to the gym were blown open by the winds. The large pads were stored at the foot of the stairs in front of the doors.
Where the basketball teams will practice until the mess is cleaned up was uncertain early today. Jenkins said the damage would have to be assessed before those decisions would be made.
The Marion Junior High School and area church gyms could be pressed into service.
The Marion girls’ team is scheduled to play Thursday at home against Eldorado. A site for that fame has not yet been determined.
Marion Stores Open for Business, 11/20/1991, by Petra Ruemkorff
Marion businesses are open today despite the damage from last night’s thrashing storm. Downtown businesses received mostly minor damage. Signs were ripped from the buildings and windows were broken.
Union 76 service station at the corner of Main and Court Streets was temporarily closed this morning but was expected to reopen this afternoon. According to Manager Terry Clark, the canopy covering the pumps and part of the roof was blown away during the wind. “Most of the damage was from the flood though,” Clark said. “There was three feet of water in the building after the wind storm was over.”
Bill Dralle, owner of Bill’s Liquor on Court Street, said his business has received damage to signs, guttering and cardboard liquor containers. He said the signs will be expensive to replace.
The Huck’s location on Court Street received minor damage during the wind storm. Store employee, Phil Davis, said a lotto sign and an unleaded gas pump containing no additives was blown over by the strong winds. “There were no leaks,” Davis said. “The company will be here today to set the pump back up. There were no broken gas lines and fortunately no damage to the building.”
Farm Fresh on court Street was fortunate to have received no damage to the main building. According to owner Karen Turnbull, a storage building behind the store collapsed onto several cars. The building provided storage for the business. Turnbull said she does not know the extent of the loss.
Kimmel’s Automotive located two doors down from Farm Fresh was not as fortunate. The building’s rear wall facing the West was damaged. Employee Pat Simpson said the wall was completely blown out of the building.
Senior Center Haven for Residents, 11/20/1991, by MDR Staff Writers
The Illinois State Police conducted a house to house, room to room search at Midway Court making sure no one was trapped in homes that were destroyed by Tuesday’s Tornado.
Terry Fletcher, one of the dozens staying at the Marion Senior Citizens Center, was glad to be alive. “It’s the biggest miracle I’ve ever seen, “Fletcher said of the fact that no one was reported killed.
No one got much sleep at the Senior Citizens Center last night as most stayed awake and talked about their hair raising experiences. “It was like a bomb hit,” Bill Bankson of Midway Court said.
Some 40 homes in Marin were destroyed and literally hundreds sustained damage, officials said. “It could have been nothing else but a tornado, ”Fletcher of Midway Court said.
Police used three search dogs as they sifted through the rubble at Midway Court. Police used billing lists from the Marion Water Department in an effort to get a head count by matching names and people during the evacuation. “There’s a lot of rental property on Midway Court,” Marion Police Health and Safety Commissioner David Hancock said. Hancock said it appears everyone is fine. “We’ve had no reports of anyone missing, Hancock said. “We just want to make sure.” The area is totally blocked off until police are satisfied with their search.
Witnesses say the twister’s rage lasted about 10 seconds. “I didn’t have time to react,” Marty Banks, 20, of Midway Court said. “ I jumped up and I lost my brains. I was losing my head. I told my dad to head for the basement before realizing that we don’t have a basement.”
Gene Fletcher, 10, of Midway Court, was so wound up after the tornado that he stayed awake playing pool until 2:30 a.m. at the Senior Center. With school called off today, Fletcher didn’t have to worry about classes. Fletcher said he didn’t know what he was saying when he yelled out, “It’s a tornado! The house was shaking,” said Fletcher. “At the beginning we heard this big gust of wind and we looked out the door and the door slammed shut. I was more nervous than scared.”
“It was hard to sleep,” Banks said. “Everytime I closed my eyes I kept seeing my back yard. I kept seeing myself in the damn thing.”
Mike Simmons of Midway Court said he heard a roar like a train when the tornado hit. “All the windows in my house are blown out, but the worst damage was to my car, a board went through it.”
Ann Clemons, 37, of Midway Court, said she escaped the tornado in Marion in 1982 and was thankful to be alive. “I thought it (my home) was going to go the way it shook,” Clemons said.
Banks said this was the fourth tornado he has experienced.
Tornado Damage Estimate Approaches $30 Million Mark, 11/20/1991, by David Hancock
Emma Kent’s eight year-old grandson Josh Hill yelled “I don’t want to die, Grandma.”
Vicky Quintana was cooking dinner for her husband, Frank, and five-year old daughter, Jennifer, when it “sounded like a tree falling on the house.”
At least one tornado, maybe more, struck the south west side of Marion last night, leaving in its wake destruction which stretched from the Marion High School Gym to Crisp warehouse, according to Marion City Commissioner David Hancock.
Michael Colclasure, who lives near Route 37 one mile south of Marion actually witnessed the funnel cloud.
The National Weather Service in Paducah would not confirm that the storm was indeed a tornado until their officer in charge could view the scene.
Over 40 homes were destroyed in the Midway Court subdivision and well over $1 million in damage was reported this morning, Hancock said.
Hancock said literally hundreds of homes received some damage.
Early reports indicate that around 20 people received mostly minor injuries although Williamson County.
Over 750 Area Homes Lose Power, 11/20/1991, by Jon Musgrave
Power should have been restored to all but the most damaged of structures by the end of today, according to Richard Dial, CIPS area superintendent. The same should be true with telephone service according to Loren Carter, GTE division manager.
By this morning, Dial said power had been restored to all of Marion except “the area surrounding Midway Court and Richey Drive.” He said as many as 750 homes in the Marion area were without power last night after the storm struck.
Dial said the power outages generally followed the path of the tornado from the Marion High School northeast to DeYoung Street with other scattered outages from lightning strikes and downed trees
“We gradually brought power to South Vicksburg and that area back on line between 1 and 3:30 a.m., “Dial said. “We had power back to the high school at five this morning,” he added. With 20 poles in the Midway Court area still down this morning Dial brought in 20 extra linemen from Herrin and other communities.
Carter said that between 400 and 500 Marion residents were without telephone service last night, and more experienced intermittent service with delayed dial tones. “There was never a time you couldn’t call out of Marion if you had patience,” Carter said. He said additional crews from Carbondale were brought in to help restore service.
Although Marion Police evacuated residents from the Midway Court area last night for possible gas leaks, Dial said by 8 or 9 p.m. all the gas had be turned off. “As far as we know everything is safe,” Dial said. “What they had was blowing gas from houses that had been blown loose from the gas lines.”
Dial said fire fighters from the Marion Fire Department had most of the gas shut off by the time the power company’s crews arrived.
Another 10 customers in the South Court Subdivision south of the high school served by the Southeastern Illinois Electric Co-operative also went without power after the tornado. Greg Cruse, manager of administrative and finance, said power had been restored to the houses still standing. No other major outages in their service area were reported.
South of Marion, Carl George, an engineer with the Southern Illinois Power Co-operative, said nearly 400 customers went without power in the Goreville and the Jonesboro area. Geroge said the damage had occurred from downed trees. He said power had been restored by this morning.
Carter said phone service had been interrupted by some damage in the Vienna and Ordill areas.
Edgar, Butler Survey Damage, 11/21/1991, by Jon Musgrave
State and federal disaster agencies are now in place and assisting Marion city officials in the cleanup following Gov. Jim Edgar’s decision to declare the area a state disaster area. Edgar visited the city’s ravaged south side late yesterday afternoon, both from the air and on foot talking with residents who had seen their homes destroyed.
The governor’s proclamation will help in residents filing insurance claims, assist those who have been left homeless, address public health and safety problems, remove debris and facilitate property tax relief through reassessment of storm damaged property. Through the use of the governor’s disaster relief fund, emergency funds will be transferred to state agencies involved in the cleanup to help pay overtime and other unusual employee expenses caused by the storm. “This will allow us to bring in state agencies to assist the city of Marion,” Edgar said.
The governor added that he will be asking the federal government to also assist in the cleanup operations and allow area residents to apply for low-interest loans to help pay for the rebuilding.
“Unfortunately, when a natural disaster like this occurs there is no way government agencies can make up for what was lost,” Edgar added. “We want to try to minimize the problems they face,” he said.
Repeatedly, Edgar commented on what will become the second “Miracle of Marion” that no one was serious injured or killed by this storm.
The first “Miracle of Marion” was dubbed upon the city after the quickness the city rebounded and rebuilt from the 1982 tornado. Edgar referred to the earlier tornado in reference to Mayor Robert Butler.
“Unfortunately, the mayor is an expert on this type of operation,” Edgar said. “Thank goodness this is not as devastating as the one in 1982.”
After visiting with residents in the Midway Court area, the governor said he was impressed by the positive attitude they expressed.
Midway Court, Tornado Riddled Neighborhood Grope for Hope in Storm’s Wake, 11/21/1992, by Shannon Woodworth
Tuesday’s storm destroyed John and Thelma McCabe’s home – but not their memories. “I’ve got a lot of good memories and a lot of bad here.” Thelma said. The McCabes lived in their home at 1152 Midway Court for 41 years.
The McCabes rummaged through what was left of their home Thursday. A clock on a still standing kitchen wall was stopped at the time the storm hit.
Many days will pass before clean-up work at Midway Court is finished. It may take much more time for storm victims to feel comfortable when storm clouds hover over.
“I thought I was going to die,” Bill Dunbar, of 1145 Midway Court said. “I thought the good Lord was calling me home,” he added with fear in his voice. Dunbar pointed to the only wall standing inside his destroyed home, ”That’s where we hid.”
Elnora Long, a resident of Midway Court, said she has not seen her husband, Dan, a truck driver, since the storm hit. “I’ve held up pretty good so far,” Elnora said, “I’ll collapse when he gets home.”
One lady along Midway Court couldn’t talk about the disaster, she just turned and cried.
Deanna Baker’s home at 1119 Midway Court sustained little damage compared to her neighbors. Despite a piece of wood that shot through her roof “Like an arrow,” Baker’s home was virtually untouched. “I’m an extremely lucky,” Baker said, “It’s amazing how one house can be standing and the one next door is demolished. I really feel for those who lost their homes.”
Sandra Dornes, of 1127 Midway Court, wasn’t so lucky. The storm bashed the home she was renting. Dornes grabbed a bed mattress and hid underneath it with her son, Cody. “I’m trying to pick up and start all over again,” Dornes said sweeping trash with a broom. “We’ll just start looking for another place to rent. Right now we’re living with mom and dad.”
Jess Edwards, of 1102 Midway Court, said his home didn’t sustain quite $1,000 worth of damage. “You ain’t a jokin’, I feel lucky,” Edwards said.
Jeff Cox, of 1222 Midway Court, also felt lucky, maybe a little more than others. “I couldn’t have been anymore luckier than the luckiest man in the world,” Cox said. Cox wasn’t home when the storm hit. His home had very little damage and was only waiting for electricity to be restored in order to move back into his home. When Cox returned to Marion late Tuesday night, authorities wouldn’t let him into the Midway Court area. “It’s weird not knowing if your home is still standing or not,” Cox said.
Baker had just completely remodeled her home, including some new paint. With minor damage to her residence, Baker said,”it’s easier to put on a new coat of paint than to replace your whole home.”
While the rest of the home was destroyed, the “baby room” at Bridget and Eric Anderson’s home was untouched. “We even saved some pictures,” Bridget said. Eric complained that too many sightseers were being allowed into the Midway Court area. “They are letting in every Tom, Dick and Harry making it tough to drive my truck and get things moved, “Eric said.
Larry and Kathy Mitchell, of 1141 Midway Court, hope to salvage their appliances. The storm ripped the roof off their home. “We’ll let these appliances dry out and hopefully they’ll work,” Larry said.
Donna Dunbar is suffering from lung cancer, but it didn’t keep her from trying to salvage memories. “I found my son’s picture,” she said.
The McCabes are forced to walk away from a home place of more than four decades. Memories of how he hovered over the top of his grand-daughters, Jennifer and Leslie Benton and held to his wife when the storm hit may stick out his mind for some time to come. “I just thank God that we are all still alive,” he said.
Residents Pull Together With Relief, 11/21/1991, by Petra Ruehmkorff
Residents in Marion have all pulled together to help the victims of the storm. Members of the Ministerial Alliance said the ministry center on East Calvert Street (the old Winter’s Warehouse) has received huge amounts of clothing. Adult clothing is in good supply but, Volunteer Lou Ann Sims said several children were in need of clothing and blue jeans for boys
Only about five or six recipients visited the center for clothing and food Thursday. The center will remain in operation on a temporary basis so if the need for food and clothing arises the support will be there. The center will be open until 4 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those who are needing assistance in the search for housing due to the storm can call the center at 993-8419.
The American Red Cross will be providing help for families at the Second Baptist Church on Russell Street on: Friday: 1-6-p.m.; Sat: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun.: 1-6 p.m.; Mon.: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
The families with major or totally destroyed homes will be interviewed and their losses assessed by Red Cross officials according to Loretta Hassler. Food and clothing vouchers will be handed out to families according to needs. “The amount depends on family size,” Hassler said. “There should be enough money on the vouchers for two changes of clothing and an additional amount for winter coats and boots.”
The vouchers allow victims to go to the stores of their choice. In addition to food and clothing, household furnishings, linens, eyeglasses, dentures and other necessities will be furnished.
The Red Cross can provide assistance for one month’s rent and the purchase of bigger priced items like ovens if needed. Hassler said it is important to realize that the Red Cross is not an insurance agency to replace lost belongings but a temporary assistance organization.
Hassler said many times problems arise when families move into rentals and can’t have utilities turned on because of overdue bills. This is when other community agencies like the Ministerial Alliance step in.
Vice President of the Alliance, Ron Cremeens, said that there is approximately $10,000 available to help the storm victims. The money will be used to help individuals with the utilities and other necessities. The Ministerial Alliance will also be the main functioning relief service after the Red Cross Disaster Service has left the area.
Nursing Home Evacuated, 11/21/1991, by Petra Ruehmkorff
Over 50 residents of the Friendship Care Center nursing home facility on North Madison in Marion, were evacuated due to rising water Tuesday evening. Residents were taken to the Friendship Care Center in Herrin and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Marion.
Friendship Care Center Director of Nursing Diane Norovich said the building received no damage except the water that entered the building due to the flooding. Maintenance and housekeeping crews worked overnight to clean up the water. Norovich said the residents will return to the nursing home by buses and ambulances today.
Francis Gilliam, V.A. public affairs officer, said six residents that were placed in their V.A.’s care were doing just fine this morning.
“We were prepared for anything (during the bad weather),” Gilliam said. The only call we received was to help the nursing home place residents.”
Tornado or Microburst? Cleanup Operation Underway, 11/22/1991, by Shannon Woodworth
Residents along Midway Court in Marion were stunned to hear that the National Weather Service said a microburst, not a tornado, hit their neighborhood Tuesday. “I think their crazy,” Jeff Cox, of 1222 Midway Court, said concerning the weather service’s speculation. “If it wasn’t a tornado, I’d hate to see what a tornado would do,” Cox added pointing around the neighborhood.
The home of Bill and Donna Dunbar, at 1145 Midway Court, was one of 45 in Marion that were destroyed. Tell them it wasn’t a tornado. “I know it was a tornado,” Donna Dunbar said. She gave this account; “I heard the hail coming down hard. Then all at once it stopped and got real quiet. We heard a roar and my husband, son Barry and I ducked behind this wall (an inside wall, and the only wall at the home still standing). The force was so horrible; I thought my chest was being crushed.”
Michael Colclasure, who lives near Route 37 one mile south of Marion, said he actually witnessed the tornado. “I was looking out the front window when I saw it coming from the south,” Colclasure said. “It just went straight across. Right before I saw it, the hail quit and it got real calm and then it sounded like a freight train.”
The National Weather Service, however, still contends that it was a microburst. Marion’s Dr. D. Horsely, an AMS meteorologist, says “so what?” “It’s not like we are downgrading the danger and damage when we talk about a microburst,” Dr. D. said. “A microburst can do as much damage as a tornado.” Dr. D said, however, that after touring the affected area he isn’t saying “it wasn’t a tornado.”
“The question remains, so what?” Dr. D said. “It still ripped up nearly 50 homes; the governor still designated it as a disaster area. This is not a minor event Just because microburst is something people have never heard of, we are not downplaying the seriousness.”
A microburst, in Jon Erickson’s book, “Violent Storms,” is defined as a small, intense downdraft that is accompanied by what is called a rain shaft (which is a narrowly confined, heavy fall of rain). Upon hitting the ground the winds of a microburst spread out laterally, like the water flowing from a faucet spreads out at the bottom of a sink, creating horizontal winds of hurricane force with speeds upwards of 100 miles per hour and more.”
Damage by a tornado is caused by a combination of low pressure in the funnel cloud, possibly from 0.75 to 0.80 atmospheres (75 to 80 percent percent of the normal air pressure at sea level), and circulating winds of perhaps 250 miles per hour, and possibly an extreme of 450 miles per hour. When this low-pressure environment suddenly envelops a building, it causes it to explode, since the air pressure inside the building is normal. The intense winds then complete the destruction.
Whether a tornado or microburst, it was scary enough for eight year old Josh Hill to hell, “I don’t want to die Grandma.” It was bad enough that 250 homes were damaged.
It caught Governor Jim Edgar’s and made a special trip from Springfield to see the horror declaring the area a state disaster area.
The Governor’s proclamation will help in residents filing insurance claims, assist those who have been left homeless, address public health and safety problems, remove debris, and facilitate property tax relief through reassessment of storm damaged property.
Yet, for many, telling the story to friends and relatives for years to come might take some explaining if they talk about a microburst. Everybody’s heard of a tornado.
(Articles extracted from the Marion Daily Republican from November 20-22, 1991)