Making a Difference Tornado Hits Ashland Seth Thornley

Volunteers clean up April 9 in downtown Ashland. Seth Thornley is in center background holding damaged framing timber.

In Ashland, Illinois, a town where nothing usually goes wrong, something did.

At 9 p.m. Thursday night, April 8, Ashland got a rude wakeup call when, with no time for warning, a tornado came, destroyed and left. It gutted the heart of town in less than a minute, and sent this tight-knit community into shock. The terror was followed by plenty of hard work, as townspeople pulled together to clean up afterward. It made all the difference.

The deadly storm took its toll on almost everyone, and it had an especially harsh impact on a few. Eva Weems, 68, whose trailer was mangled by the storm's 100-mph winds, lost her life to its devastating force. South Trailer Park faced the most extensive damage, and several downtown buildings -- including the First Baptist Church -- were drilled in the path. According to state officials, 37 mobile homes suffered damage and 20 of these were annihilated. All together, 50 homes throughout town were affected one way or another by the storm's rage.

It was only a matter of minutes after the tornado plummeted down before people attempted to grasp what had just happened. It didn't take long, though -- 15 police agencies, 20-plus fire departments, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the State Police, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross blanketed Ashland, especially the south end of town where the storm hit hardest. It was certainly not your "average night" in what usually is a calm, boning town.

Sally Lael, of the Cass County Star-Gazette, mentioned just some of the radio traffic that occured the night of April 9th ("Tornado" 1). "It was around 9 p.m.," she said. "Ashland police Officer Tim Mann radioed that he had a couple of scared people with him and was going to check things out at the trailer park. There was a few minutes of silence, then Officer Mann was back on the radio, and in a very shaken voice said, 'Get me help! We've been hit! Send me ambulances and rescue teams. I need all the help you can get me!' " It was only a matter of minutes until the Cass County radio dispatcher told Mann that ambulances were on there way from all surrounding towns. In all an estimated 20 fire departments and 15 police agencies were on the scene within minutes.

Shortly followng the storm, hundred of residents flocked in the streets in dismay to confirm the news and, more importantly, to make sure everyone was okay. It was like something out of a movie. It was a dark, powerless, chilly April evening with masses of people filling the streets. And an eerie, confused feeling set in -- what had happened to our "peaceful" town." As I walked the streets, witnessing what was unfolding before my very eyes, it sent chills through my spine. Everyone says that, I know. But that's what it really felt like.

Ashland is a town where, on average, everyone's in by 10 p.m. But by 10 on April 8, the night was not nearly over for the large majority of the town's population of 1,250. Hundreds of vehicles and people filled the town in an effort to help in any way possible. The sounds of sirens, helicopters, chainsaws, radios and people filled the night air.

As the sun rose Friday and news of the storm's effects reached several morning news programs, including the national "Today Show," volunteers began their long day of work.

When I got up at 7 a.m., my dad told me we were going to take a tractor and help clean up. He is a co-owner of Earth Care Lawn & Tree Co., and we hauled the landscaping company's equipment by trailer to downtown Ashland.

When I saw the town by daylight, it was amazing. It was like some film -- it looked like we were in a foreign country that just had been bombed. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up debris and tearing down buildings.

Everyone helped out, according to The State Journal-Register's report the day after the cleanup. To most students' surprise, the classes at A-C (Ashland-Chandlerville) Central High School were not canceled. However, there was good reason for that -- and students soon learned what it was, when they were instructed to bring gloves to school. Upon arrival, students were sent to the gym for a briefing. Principal Dan Williams asked some 170 students if they would stay and help clean up, and that is exactly what all 170 students did. They were bused to the municipal building, where they received further instructions.

"Take your time," IDOT worker Tom Gaines told students. "Work smart. We have all day" (Piscia and Antonacci 6). And that is what we did. Citizens and volunteers could not express enough thanks to the students and faculty of A-C Central for all their efforts in the cleanup.

The damage, obviously, did not go unnoticed by the press. The skies over Ashland were filled with news helicopters, not to mention the flocking of politicians, photographers, and reporters from radio stations, newspapers and television stations including News Channel 5 of St. Louis and Chicago, one of the nation's top NBC affiliates.

Gov. George Ryan arrived Friday and declared Cass County -- specifically Ashland -- a disaster area. "This declaration will speed the recovery efforts of these communities and authorize state agencies to assist in cleanup," he said. Ryan went on to say, "Our hearts certainly go out to the families of those who were injured and to the woman who was killed. You look around and you see people in a community like this working to help one another in a time of need. Recovery efforts are under way throughout the town. To all the volunteers, your work has not gone unnoticed; you have been an influence and tremendous asset to the community" (Piscia and Antonacci 6).

There is no doubt, as Ryan said, that this small town of 1,250 pulled together to make a difference.

Lael, Sally. "Tornado Rips Through Ashland Leaving One Dead." Cass County Star-Gazette 15 April 1999: 1.

Piscia, Jason, and Sarah Antonacci. "Ashland Gets It Together." State Journal-Register 10 April 1999: 1, 6.

 

(c) 1999 Sleepy Weasel