On November 17, 2013, a devastating tornado ripped through our neighboring towns of Pekin, East Peoria, and Washington. In Washington, the tornado was classified as an EF-4. To watch the story unfold gave me a sense of helplessness I have never felt before. Catastrophes like this don't happen to your town or the towns near you. They are supposed to happen far away in towns you've never heard of... While we were visiting Morton, my friend Molly (her parents lost their home in the tornado) offered to take Kathie and myself for a drive through Washington. I thought my heart was prepared for what I was about to see….
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| An ariel view of Washington (courtesy of the Internet) |
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| Molly's parent's house (taken from Molly's Instagram) |
Washington today….
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| I was impressed with how well the area had been cleaned up. There was once a neighborhood where there is now open landscape. |
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| Standing on Molly's parent's driveway. Tom's deck held up just fine! She said her dad was proud of that. |
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| Devastation as far as you can see….. |
My heart goes out to the town of Washington. Through it all, I am so proud of Central Illinois. The residents responded just as I knew they would. Because in Central Illinois, everyone is a neighbor. Everyone is willing to help. Everyone lends a hand. Everyone prays for one another. We are a community, divided by city limits, but connected by hearts.
Until next time,
Wendy
