Cameron and Delevan, Illinois, Tornadoes
Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, for the third time this year, Illinois communities are assessing damage and cleaning up after tornadoes. One twister struck the town of Cameron, in Warren County, on Thursday evening. Moments later, another struck the town of Delevan, in Tazewell County. The tornadoes were accompanied by storms with heavy rain and flooding.
The National Weather Service says both tornadoes were category EF-2. That means that the winds blew up to 130 miles per hour. Homes in both small towns suffered severe damage. Several homes had roofs torn off, while others were completely flattened. The tornado that hit Delevan touched down without warning because tornado sirens lost power a few seconds after they began to sound.
Debris from homes and farms was scattered across the community. Many roads in the community were impassible due to down trees and power lines. Emergency responders wasted no time going house to house in both communities. I spoke with Warren County sheriff Martin Edwards on Friday afternoon. Thankfully, there were no fatalities or serious injuries reported.
The communities are busy cleaning up today and utility companies are working to get gas and electricity back on. Over the weekend, Sparky's Smokeshack set up a smoker on the edge of Cameron. The popular rib joint served up free meals to anyone who needed them. American Red Cross volunteers also are providing food and water. As is so often the case when a disaster like this strikes, first responders and friends and family members are helping people whose homes and businesses were damaged. I thank the first responders and all of the members of these communities for their work.
The Illinois delegation and I stand ready to help in any way we can, particularly if the Governor requests Federal assistance. I have no doubt that the people in Cameron and Delevan will rebuild. Our thoughts are with the many people today who lost homes and other property.
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