JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ill. (HEARTLAND NEWS) - Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker visited Jefferson County to survey damage from an EF-3 tornado that destroyed homes and killed two people. The tornado struck the Mount Vernon northern countryside on June 21.
“I heard from a local resident who pointed over to where one of the homes of the deceased was,” Pritzker said.
The governor expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones. He also warned about future severe weather.
“I expressed my condolences to the families that have lost loved ones. These storms are unfortunately deadly. And I hate to say that with climate change and all the challenge that we’ve seen, we’re likely to see very serious storms over the coming years,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker met with the Davis family and heard from homeowner Steven Davis about the storm’s impact.
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“The damage to my home and my pole barn and the cars is probably about $200,000,” Davis said.
Davis says he was in St. Louis during the storm, but he’s grateful his wife and son took shelter in a hallway of the home.
Jefferson County is among 11 counties impacted by storms since March. The widespread damage prompted Pritzker to issue a state disaster proclamation.
“There’s the recovery mode, making sure that we can get resources perhaps from the Small Business Administration at the federal level,” Pritzker said.
The governor said the goal is to help rebuild the impacted communities. He emphasized the state’s commitment to both immediate and long-term recovery needs.
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“It provides some measure of understanding at the local level that we’re not gonna forget that we’re focused on the needs that people have immediately and then in the medium and long term,” Pritzker said.
Davis said the extra assistance could benefit the community.
“Because some people out here are elderly and they can’t do their own work,” Davis said.
Davis estimated cleanup for his home could take up to two years due to the large number of broken trees. He says he plans to continue helping within the community as they work toward recovery following the devastating tornado.
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