SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Six weeks after a tornado damaged multiple buildings at the Animal Protective League, staff and animals remain spread across the city as the organization searches for a temporary location.

The storm brought triple-digit wind speeds, ripping the roof off the clinic building and damaging the shelter space.

"Our top priority was to get our animals placed and in foster homes, and that happened very quickly," said Deana Corbin, executive director of the Animal Protective League. "And then after that, it was a salvage — what can we save out of the buildings, what do we need to keep operating?"

On the night of the tornado, community members took animals into their homes and businesses. Staff has since transitioned to mobile clinics, traveling across the city and working through a backlog of canceled appointments.

"Our priority right now is finding a temporary location that we can set up both our spay neuter clinic and our shelter together," Corbin said. "We're looking for different options, whether that's a building somewhere in town or whether that's mobile trailers on site."

Long-term, the APL plans to build a new facility, a process Corbin said could take a couple of years.

Corbin said community support has been significant since the storm. Volunteers have dropped off Gatorade, popsicles and other supplies. Local businesses have hosted fundraising events and gathered other materials. 

"It's been a miracle that it has gone as well as it has," she said. "Usually we're the ones helping everybody out, and now the roles have reversed."

The APL said monetary donations are currently the greatest need. The organization said it has limited storage space for physical donations.

Updates on specific needs will be posted to the APL's Facebook page and website.

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