TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - Tuesday marked the 2-year anniversary of a tornado in Taylorville that partially or completely destroyed over 700 homes.
The community is still recovering from the destruction and emotional turmoil it caused.
"There's some PTSD from it that a lot of community members are having difficulty dealing with," Taylorville Fire Chief Matthew Adermann said.
Responders recounted the destruction they first saw and how hard it was to reach those that were stuck under rubble or in trailers.
"It took me and the other firefighter I was with 45 minutes just to get there. Normally it would have taken about five," said Assistant fire Chief Cody Rogers.
The road signs were completely gone as the responders were getting calls in every minute.
“It was unbelievable. The amount of destruction that had actually happened, [that’s] what they said when they came back to the firehouse," Adermann said.
Many houses are still standing with broken roofs and patched up siding. Others are completely new or rebuilt.
“There's still some houses here and there that need fixed and everything else," Adermann said.
However, Mayor Bruce Berry said 90-95% of the destruction has been rebuilt.
Taylorville firefighters said if the loss has left someone needing help, or even just someone to listen, they are there. Mayor Berry said Mission Taylorville has done most of the legwork for delegating donations to help with cleanup and replacing items from the tornado.
"I just want to thank the community for the support they have shown for each other and I think it's great that the community has come together to do that," Berry said.
