3 months later, Effingham County continues to recover from EF-3 tornado

EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WAND) — Effingham County was one of many places in Illinois impacted by a tornado this year.

The area saw one of the year’s strongest storms in June, as an EF-3 tornado tore through the county. But three months later, the county looks like it has recovered.

Effingham County’s Assistant Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Catherine Bailey explained why it may seem that way.

“When you go out and look at those houses that were devastated, some of them aren’t even there anymore,” Bailey said. “It’s hard to see that a tornado actually came through here and went from one side of the county to the other. The only thing that really gives it away is when you look at the trees.”

One of the buildings Bailey is referring to is the Mid America Motorworks Museum. The building took a major hit from the tornado, and Mid America CEO Michael Yager said he is still working to get things back on track.

“Our focus right now is just getting the website back up, getting racking back in place, and bringing back several millions of dollars of inventory,” Yager said. “We’ve got a lot of history and connection to that property, but our main focus now is just getting the business back up and operating.”

Yager said during the tornado, the community played a huge role in helping the organization, and without that support, they wouldn’t be where they are now.

“The community was absolutely fantastic,” Yager said. “One or two weeks after the tornado, they were delivering pizza, beer and all the supplies you would need to keep going while digging out. And they’ve been great ever since.”

The county has made sure people in need of help and care over the last three months have received support through such a difficult time. Bailey said if people still need anything, the county will be there for them.

“As a community, it’s a really good community for rebuilding,” Bailey said. “We know that any of those people who were affected will be supported by this community, and they will rebuild.”

Effingham County officials say resources are still available for anyone still recovering from the tornado.