Dongola quiet as residents take break

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Residents of Dongola were surprised Monday to find uniformed police officers blocking the entrance to their town.

Just outside the downtown area a command post was established at the fire station where anyone wishing to enter the town had to first stop and get a pass.

City officials didn't want people who weren't there to work to get in the way sightseeing.

At the firehouse the sound of scanners and weather radios could be heard just above the noise of residents still exchanging stories about where they were and what they were doing when a tornado passed through town early Sunday morning.

Inside the city limits, just past the police officers, the noisy bustle of everyday life quickly faded to the hum of a few chain saws still cutting through fallen trees.

All day Sunday residents worked to pull the trees off their houses and clear debris from their yards.

Monday, only a few residents were working in the yards.

"Everyone's sleeping," one woman said. "We've worked for 36 hours, and we're tired."

Late Monday Illinois Gov. George Ryan declared Union, Pope, Clay, Johnson and Saline counties disaster areas based on the estimates that 16 homes were completely demolished, 50 more were severely damaged and more than 100 others had minor damages.

The storm also caused one fatality.

Janie Chamness, 69, of Dongola died when the storm tore through her mobile home. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. today at the First Baptist Church in Cobden, Ill.

Cleanup began in Dongola just hours after the tornado hit. By Monday afternoon electricity was restored to nearly half of the town, with the rest expected to be restored by early today at the latest.

Fire chief Rick Acuss said the biggest task now is to clear away the debris. Tree debris and any household items that can be burned are being taken to a lot on the west side of town to be burned. Household and automobile items like batteries, appliances and tires are being shipped to a landfill.

Will add cellar

Cindy and Steve Simmerman's single-wide trailer was lifted from its foundation, split in two and scattered across a nearby road, lake and field when the tornado hit.

As Cindy Simmerman watched about 15 volunteers sifted through the damage Monday. She smiled.

"We're all OK, and we will rebuild," she said. "But this time we'll have a storm cellar."

Mike Chamness, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said 50 other homes in the five-county area have major damage, meaning they are uninhabitable, and 107 have minor damage, which means they are livable but need repairs.

Chamness said monetary damage estimates won't be available until at least Thursday.

IEMA has set up a command post in each of the counties, but the main post is housed at the Dongola firehouse.

Chamness met with Dongola city officials at the fire house Monday morning.

"Our role is to help you, not to take over," Chamness said. "Our job is to give you what you need to start cleaning up. And we're going to do it in the quickest most efficient way possible."

Teachers helping out

Acuss said clean up has been going well, and businesses in Anna, Ill., and other nearby cities have been generous in providing food and water for all of the victims.

Since the schools in Dongola are out until Thursday, minivans full of schoolteachers drove around town Monday offering sandwiches, chips and sodas to residents working in their yards.

Lou and Gary Phillips were surprised when they saw a white minivan pull up in front of their house and a woman jump out asking if they needed some soda.

They accepted.

"We've just been cleaning up the yard," Lou Phillips said. "It's a little bit easier to handle today. We lost all of our nice trees, but mostly the house just has damage to the roof."

But the second day wasn't easier for everyone.

"I lost my husband last year to cancer and found out my brother and my son have cancer and now this," Alice Casper said, wiping tears from her eyes. "My home's got holes in it, but everybody's been so wonderful to help me."

Susan Mills is the director of the Red Cross station, located in Dongola High School.

She said the Red Cross doesn't need people to send food or water or other supplies to the school, but if people want to help they can send monetary donations to the regional office with a note that it is for the tornado victims.

She said they can also contact the Dongola Fire Department each day to see if volunteers are needed to help clear debris throughout the city.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128

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Want to help?

The Red Cross is accepting monetary donations for the victims of Sunday's tornado in Dongola, Ill. Donations can be sent to the American Red Cross at Little Egypt Network, 112 East Walnut St., Herrin, Ill., 62948. For more information, call the office at (618) 988-1147.