Victims of the storm pick up the pieces. Many of the yards of the damaged homes were filled with cars, as friends and neighbors pitched in to help.

By Jack Halstead

First, it was the noise of thunder, then winds. Shortly after that, it was the buzzing of chain saws. When a String of small but vicious tornadoes swept through Illinois from southwest to northeast on the night of Tuesday, June 1, it brought out the chain saws in force.

Co-op linemen were using the saws to cut fallen limbs out of downed wires, and homeowners and neighbors were using theirs to cut up downed trees laying helter-skelter in their yards, on their roofs and across their cars.

Along with the sounds were the smells. Fallen trees lay everywhere, some broken and with their limbs torn off, others uprooted. The rich, pungent smell of sap was everywhere.

Homeowners, or rather owners of home wreckage, sifted through the debris, salvaging clothing, appliances, photos and all the other things with which homes are usually filled.

Sadly, much of the contents of those homes were strung out in a long line toward the northeast, or tangled in naked trees. To make matters worse, there was no power. Not only were the small, local lines down, but the major transmission lines that provide power to substations that serve thousands of people were also down. Co-op crews were busy.

Tornadoes clobber central Illinois

The storm, which began near Lake Pana at about 7 p.m., swept through in a series of paths that left utter destruction behind them.

Shelby Electric Cooperative, Shelbyville, was directly in the path of the storm, and suffered the most damage. Bill Shoaff, construction superintendent, notes that the storm is the worst he can remember.

"I've been here 32 years," he says, "and I don't ever remember having this much damage from one storm. There were three different tornadoes that touched down, and they ran kind of side-by-side, with the middle one being the longest. It ran for 18 miles, from about Lake Pana up to a spot a couple miles northeast of Westervelt.

He added, "It took out a lot of distribution lines, but it damaged a lot of transmission lines, too. AmerenCIPS had a lot of damage to their transmission lines a few miles east of Pana."

Shoaff says Shelby Electric started to receive outage calls just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening. "We had some 1,200 members out during the

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Damage to Shelby Electric's system was substantial, but damage to other systems affected the co-op, too. These AmerenCIPS transmission towers had carried power to several substations, and when they went down, so did service to hundreds of area consumers.

worst of it," he says, "and a lot of that was due to substation and transmission damage. Illinois Power's Taylorville substation suffered some lightning damage, and we got a lot of our members back on when that problem was solved."

Shelby Electric was on the phone early on the morning of June 2, calling Rick Polley at the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC), to request activation of the Electric Cooperatives Emergency Work Plan (EWP).

The EWP provided backup crews for damaged co-ops by coordinating the dispatch of emergency crews to co-ops, which "dodged the bullet" this time. The nearest undamaged co-ops sent help first, and those from farther away were held in reserve.

During an emergency, co-op staff spell out the kind of problems they have, and the kind of supplies and equipment the reinforcement crews should bring.

"I got my first call at 7 a.m. on Wednesday," Polley says, "and I called other co-ops to see if they could spare crews. Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative in Winchester sent two crews to Shelby, and so did Tri-County Electric in Mt. Vernon. They were able to get a couple of contractor crews, too."

EnerStar Power Corp in Paris had some damage, but it wasn't anything the co-op couldn't deal with itself. EnerStar Power had some 10 poles down just north of Marshall, and AmerenCIPS had about a mile of transmission down, a major loss that affected many area residents.

Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative Co., Auburn, had damage in the Waggoner area, but RECC crews handled repairs on their own.

Corn Belt Energy Corp. in Bloomington had some damage in the Saybrook area, having lost nearly half a mile of line to the tornado. And, in a freak accident, the tornado caused a three-phase line to sag where it crossed a railroad track. A passing train tore out nearly half a mile of line — poles and all! Ironically, all those poles had been put in just a month before. Even so, Corn Belt Energy was fortunate that its Northern Region hadn't suffered any damage, so they could get help from their own crews.

Norris Electric Cooperative in Newton had significant damage all around Newton, but the co-op was able to take care of it with their own crew joined by those of a contractor.

In all, Polley dispatched some half-dozen trucks and crews from Illinois Rural and Tri-County to Shelby Electric.

This tornado, or series of tornadoes, was like many others. It moved capriciously from south-west to northeast, touching down randomly in some places, and going back up into the clouds in others. One home would be left standing, while the home next to it would be gone, the only evidence of its passing being a bare foundation and a string of debris.

Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative, Winchester, sent two crews to help Shelby Electric. One is pictured here with the Shelby employees who served as guides. From left are Jason Nohren and Lynn Glick of Shelby Electric, and Nick Freeman, Gary Harbison, Brad Kemper and Kenny Roundcount of IREC.

At some damaged homes, clusters of people stood talking quietly, reliving the awful moments when they realized that, this time, the storm was going to hit. Others chattered animatedly, arms and hands describing the motion of the winds as they came — and their belongings as they left.

As the curious drove by slowly to gawk, others helped. Nearly every yard was full of cars as friends, neighbors and family helped the victims sort through the debris and salvage what they could.

Some, with no power at home, went other places for companionship and whatever else people seek at such times. The Casey's convenience store in Tower Hill, its power knocked out by the storm, had shut down its gas pumps. The people there conducted business with a small battery-powered calculator, a coal-oil lamp and a few flashlights.

One man at the store noted that he had no storm damage, but without power, watching the comings and goings of the store's customers was about as exciting a pastime as he could find.

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While the recent storms in central Illinois destroyed or damaged many homes and caused power outages, they left many of us unaffected.

With the storm still fresh in our minds, we need to think how we'd cope if such a storm hit us.

The recent storm wound up costing electric utilities and consumers millions of dollars. And the damage may or may not be covered by insurance or government disaster payments. So, now is the time to talk to your insurance agent, and make sure your coverage is up to date. Don't wait until it is too late.

While we tend to dwell on monetary things, there are sentimental things to worry about, as well as family documentation. If you have prized photos, have copies made, and keep them in a safety deposit box, along with birth certificates, social security numbers, diplomas and similar documents.

Storms tend to be disruptive, so you need to have some easy-to-prepare food items set aside, as well as some water. A battery-powered radio and some lanterns and flashlights might be handy, too.

For those who absolutely must have electric power, there's the option of a portable generator, and they require special care.

If you use a portable generator to provide electricity while service is being restored, be very careful. Before using your generator, you need to disconnect from your normal electrical supply by shutting off the main circuit breaker or pulling the main fuses in your electrical service panel.

This tree was one of many blown over or mangled by the storm. Often, when trees went down, they took power lines with them.

Generators run on fossil fuels, which generate noxious fumes, so you'll need to run them outside, downwind of structures, so carbon monoxide won't sneak up and add to your troubles.

There's always the tendency to rush when things are hectic, and that's really the time for caution. Avoid the temptation to refuel a hot generator, since a spill can cause a fire or explosion.

Be careful not to overload your generator. Somewhere on it there is a placard telling how many watts it puts out, and you need to remember what that number is. In all likelihood, you'll need to use your generator for a couple of appliances, and maybe a couple of lights, at one time. You'll be able to switch from a refrigerator to a freezer to a pump motor to other items as needed, without running them all at once.

Finally, there's the matter of a double-throw disconnect switch, which you should have. Do not connect a generator to your main power supply unless you have a double-throw switch installed by a competent electrician. Your generator may try to provide power to your entire neighborhood and burn up in the process, unless the switch is installed.

Remember that downed power lines can be dangerous. There's no way to tell, just by looking, if they're hot or dead. Avoid them at all costs.

Your co-op appreciates your calls during times of widespread outages, and they don't leave their phones "off the hook" during those times. When a co-op the size of Shelby Electric has 1,200 members out of service and all are trying to call in at once, it's bound to overload the lines. Please be patient. They need the information. Don't assume that since a neighbor called the co-op that the co-op knows your power is off too. Please just grit your teeth and hold on. That's what they'll be doing, too.

Don't open your freezer. Food left in an unopened freezer will last a day or two without thawing.

Be especially careful if you have elderly or ill in your household. Your co-op has a life-support registry, and if you're on it, they'll do the best they can to get your power back on quickly. But if you absolutely must have power, it may be wise to invest in a standby generator.

And keep in mind the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. A WATCH means that the weather conditions are favorable for a tornado. A WARNING means that a tornado has already been sighted, or that circular movement has been detected on weather radar. A watch means that you shouldn't get too far away from shelter. A warning means that you should head for shelter immediately.

While it's not possible to completely avoid the danger of storms, there are some things you can do to lessen the damage if one hits. Now's the time to take some precautions.

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