Severe storms that struck parts of Southern Illinois on Friday night caused significant damage, particularly in the northern and southern parts of the region.
Wayne County was under a Tornado Warning just after 1:30 Saturday morning as a line of storms moved through. Power was knocked out briefly in Fairfield. Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative reported on their Facebook page that they had several outages in their service area, due to downed lines and poles.
There were no immediate reports of major damage in the Fairfield area due to the storms. Several tornado and thunderstorm warnings were issued in Missouri and Illinois as the lines of storms approached. There were initially reports of a tornado near the McLeansboro area, and parts of central Illinois. A tornado was also reported near the St. Louis metro area, and reports indicated Rolla, Missouri was hard hit by storms Friday night.
Illinois State Police reported that two semis were overturned on I-70 near mile marker 177, although the cause of the crash remains unclear.
In Neoga, the local school district was hit hard by the storms. Neoga Elementary and Neoga Jr/Sr High School sustained considerable damage. The greenhouse at the campus collapsed, the roof was torn off, and the welding shop lost its entire roof. Following the destruction, the Neoga School Board held a special meeting on Sunday and decided to cancel classes for the week of March 17-21. As a result, the school year will be extended, with the last day of school now scheduled for June 2, barring any additional setbacks. The Board also authorized repairs to the damaged facilities.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service conducted a survey of the storm’s impact in Jackson and Perry Counties. Preliminary findings indicate that an EF-2 tornado, with winds reaching 135 mph, touched down in the area. The tornado started at 12:10 a.m. just south of the Jackson/Perry County border near Matthews Junction, and tracked northwest, ending at 12:23 a.m. east of Sunfield along Highway 154. The tornado’s path spanned 13.4 miles, with a maximum width of 250 yards. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported.
In Perry County, the storm left behind considerable damage. Doug Clark of the DuQuoin Emergency Management Agency confirmed that at least 34 structures were damaged, including 24 homes, three businesses, and seven outbuildings.
While the storm caused significant disruption, officials are already taking steps to repair the damage and assist those affected by the severe weather.
Comments