The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

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June 20, 2009

EMA officials assess storm damage

No injuries reported Friday night

BY ANNA HERKAMP

DANVILLE — Area residents are waiting to find out whether the storm that hit Oakwood on Friday night — snapping telephone poles in half and knocking down power lines — was indeed a tornado.

“Today we finished up storm assessments with the National Weather Service,” said Ted Fisher, director of the Vermilion County Emergency Management Agency.

More details could come Monday.

Confirmed tornado touchdowns did occur in Westville and Fairmount. Storm damage consisted of downed tree limbs and some business signs, according to Fisher.

No injuries were reported from the storms.

Electrical workers worked through the night to restore power in Oakwood. Saturday night, more than 60 households were still without electricity.

In that area, there were numerous trees down near Penny Lane and Pollywog Avenue.

Damage in Oakwood included a garage that was totally destroyed, as well as a couple of large storage sheds.

Fifteen mobile homes in the park south of Oakwood had minor to moderate damage. The roof of a large horse barn in the area was torn off. Cabins with windows blown out were also reported.

Fisher said some tree limbs may have come down on a propane tank or gas meter, but the situation was taken care of quickly.

A train derailed on the tracks between Catlin and Tilton. Fisher said it’s been determined that a large air downburst caused the derailment.

A downburst is a large column of air that descends straight from a cloud, Fisher explained.

Power lines fell onto a home in Catlin, which may have started a fire. The lines were quickly taken care of.

In Danville, a home on Illinois Street was destroyed when a large limb tore off the entire back of the structure.

Streetlights and some traffic lights were out throughout the city.

Fisher said the agency is keeping watch on the area rivers for flooding. So far, none has been reported.

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