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THANKS FOR
SPENDING PART OF
YOUR NIGHT WITH US.
RECENTLY A
DEVASTATING
TORNADO OUTBREAK
HIT THE MIDWST----
INCLUDING AN EF-4
TORNADO THAT
STRUCK WASHINGTON,
ILLINOIS.
METEOROLOGIST MAX
TSAPARIS EXPLAINS
WHY THE CLEAN-UP
PROCESS ISN'T GOING
TO BE OVER SOON.
SIGNS OF PROGRESS.
VOLUNTEERS
CLEARING DAMAGED
TREES. ELECTRICAL
LINES GOING BACK UP.
BUT THE DAMAGE IS
EXTENSIVE.
"ONE WEEK AFTER THE
TORNADO STRUCK
WASHINGTON,
ILLINOIS, THERE'S
STILL PLENTY OF
SCATTERED DEBRIS
AND HOUSES ALL OVER
YOU CAN SEE BEHIND
ME. AND THE CLEAN UP
PROCESS IS NOT JUST
GONNA TAKE A
MATTER OF WEEKS,
BUT RATHER A MATTER
OF YEARS."
MIKE LAUDERBACK HAS
LIVED IN HIS
WASHINGTON HOME
FOR OVER 12 YEARS
AND SAYS THE
COMMUNITY WILL
REBUILD--BUT IT'S NOT
GOING TO HAPPEN
OVERNIGHT.
"THERE'S A LOTTA
STUFF TO HAUL OUT
OF HERE. AND A LOT
OF THESE FOLKS
MIGHT NOT EVEN
REBUILD AROUND
HERE. I MEAN, YOU
NEVER KNOW. BUT,
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A
LONG TIME TO GET
EVERYTHING OUT OF
HERE. IT'S BAD."
VOLUNTEERS
TRAVELED FROM ALL
AROUND TO HELP
CLEAN UP. MIKE
O'BRIEN IS A RED
CROSS VOLUNTEER
FROM ROCKFORD.
"AND IT JUST KINDA
SEEMS ODD HOW A
TORNADO CAN PICK
SOME HOUSES AND
TOTALLY DESTROY
THEM AND THE HOUSE
RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO
THEM, IT DOESN'T
EVEN TOUCH THEM."
LAUDERBACK
CONSIDERS HIMSELF
LUCKY. HE ONLY LOST
HIS ROOF AND HAD
SOME BROKEN
WINDOWS. BUT JUST
50 YARDS AWAY--AN
ENTIRE APARTMENT
COMPLEX
GONE.
"IT'S DEVASTATING,
YOU KNOW. MOST OF
US HAVE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS."
BUT HE'S GRATEFUL
THAT PEOPLE LIKE
MIKE O'BRIEN HAVE
COME TO LEND A
HELPING HAND.
"UNBELIEVABLE HOW
THESE GUYS HAVE
COME IN AND WORK.
AND THEY'RE
BRINGING FOOD
AROUND (AND)
WATER."
IN WASHINGTON--MAX
TSAPARIS--
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO
DONATE TO HELP THE
TORNADO VICTIMS--
HEAD OVER TO OUR
WEBSITE MYSTATELINE
DOT COM.