A year after a tornado devastated the central Illinois community of Washington, city officials say one in 20 home rebuilding projects include a reinforced safe room. Washington director of planning and developing Jon Oliphant tells the (Peoria) Journal Star that …
Leaders in the central Illinois city of Washington say they’re hopeful last year’s tornado won’t affect the area’s previous double-digit growth rate. The (Peoria) Journal Star reports that Washington’s population jumped 39.6 percent between 2000 and 2010. The population grew …
The American Red Cross says recovery efforts are continuing in parts of Illinois hit by deadly tornadoes a year ago. The not-for-profit relief group said Tuesday there are still nearly 500 active cases being addressed in the affected communities one …
Children in the central Illinois community of Washington are hearing tornado sirens for the first time since twisters crossed the state in November, killing seven people and destroying hundreds of homes. School Superintendent John Tignor says there were no reports …
A central Illinois public library is working to reunite storm victims with their lost family documents that were scattered during last month’s tornadoes. More than 1,000 items have been collected and catalogued at the Morton Public Library in Tazewell County, …
Tornadoes and thunderstorms that swept across the U.S. Midwest last month will probably cost more than $1 billion in economic losses, led by damage in Illinois and Indiana, according to insurance broker Aon Plc. Insurers estimated losses in the hundreds …
Two Illinois-based insurers say they’ve received about 6,000 claims so far from Sunday’s tornadoes and they expect that figure to climb. State Farm officials told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph they’ve received about 3,500 claims from customers in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. …
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is adding another six counties to the state’s disaster declaration after strong weekend storms blew across the region. The move was announced early Tuesday and brings the total number of counties given the designation to 13. …