IL Firefighters Spring to Action for Rare December Tornado

When the Taylorville area was hit by a rare December tornado, Effingham County emergency personnel jumped into action.

Effingham Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Kulesza said the Taylorville Fire Department contacted MABAS 54, which brought together units from several departments, giving the community needed equipment and manpower during that critical first 24 hours.

MABAS, which stands for Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, provides emergency rapid response to a region. It can be used for fires, environmental threats, rescues, incident management and emergency medical services, with the purpose being to prevent loss of life and human suffering, according to its website.

The National Weather Service said it is rare for a tornado to hit this time of year. Peak times for tornadoes in the Midwest are between April and June, according to NWS. The one on Saturday was a half mile wide and stayed on the ground for at least 10 miles, said meteorologist Chris Miller of NWS.

On Monday, the NWS said the EF-Scale rating for the storm on the south side of Taylorville was EF-3, with an estimated wind speed of 155 mph. The weather service gave Taylorville residents a 41-minute warning, Miller said in an Associated Press story.

According to the Christian County Emergency Management Agency, which is where Taylorville is the county seat, the storm struck the area at about 5:15 p.m. on Saturday.

Kulesza said at 6:02 p.m., about 45 minutes after the devastation came, MABAS 54 leaders evaluated what equipment could be sent, being careful not to deplete manpower or equipment in their home districts. They left the Effingham County area around 6:30 p.m. for Taylorville.

In all, 31 people were dispatched through MABAS 54 to Taylorville. Equipment brought included fire engines, brush trucks, a light tower, an ATV and an ambulance.

“We were assigned to a task force zone, which there were a total of six zones that were implemented,” Kulesza said in a press release. “Each task force was equipped with two engines, one chief, one ambulance and one police officer.”

Responding from MABAS 54 were Effingham, Shumway, Teutopolis, Altamont, Watson, Beecher City, Stewardson-Strasburg and Abbott Ambulance. Upon arrival, they met with the task force leaders for instructions.

Kim Tegeler, Effingham EMA coordinator, said she assisted where needed in the emergency operation center.

“We conducted searches of homes and businesses throughout our zoned areas, maintained gas shut-offs, marking downed power wires and transformers, marked buildings that were damaged and not structurally sound to be occupied,” said Kulesza.

Altamont Fire Chief Jon Becker said his department sent an engine and three firefighters. Part of their duties included surveying a section of town for victims and damage.

Jonathon Rodgers, also with the Altamont Fire Protection District, said the operation was well organized. He felt they made a difference in that community. Rodgers, Charles Siebert and Brad Smith were assigned a mobile home park that sustained serious damage.

“We found a woman whose trailer had a tree that crashed through it,” said Rodgers. “She was not hurt. However, her trailer was not inhabitable. So, we called for an ambulance and got her to a safe place.”

He said Taylorville Fire Department did a good job organizing everything when MABAS 54 arrived.

“Each team got a portion of town to go knock door to door to make sure everyone was OK,” said Rodgers. “When we first got to town, it didn’t seem like there was much damage. But once we got further into town, it became very apparent that the tornado went right through town.”

He said they saw houses and buildings missing portions of the roof, garages completely collapsed onto cars and an “unbelievable amount of trees down and broken.”

Chris Probst, a firefighter with the Teutopolis Fire Protection District, said he was surprised how orderly the work flowed.

“Matt Kulesza from Effingham and John Paholke from Shumway did a good job and kept us where we should be going,” said Probst.

He said neighbors helped each other get to a safe place in those homes that were destroyed.

After completing their zoned tasks, they reported back to the Taylorville Fire Station and were debriefed, before being released around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

The Christian County EMA said by 1 a.m. Sunday, most of the volunteer resources were released. The city had been divided into two geographical areas and these resource groups were divided into task forces, who worked throughout the night checking for people who may have been trapped in residences, and for any secondary hazards like downed power lines or gas leaks.

Illinois Emergency Management Agency on Sunday reported the area had damage to 506 structures. Of those, 34 were completely destroyed, 66 had major damage, and 406 were damaged but inhabitable.

The Volunteer Reception Center will be open Dec. 5 through 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Taylorville Township Building, 1620 W. Spresser St., Taylorville. If you are a volunteer already affiliated with an organization, contact that organization directly to find out their volunteer needs. Note that “neighbors helping neighbors” is still preferred method of volunteering, and the Volunteer Reception Center is only meant for those without a task.

At this time, voluntary agency partners are seeking unaffiliated community volunteers who are physically capable of utilizing heavy equipment, such as chainsaws and hacksaws, and performing manual labor, such as heavy lifting for debris removal.

For up-to-date pre-recorded volunteer information, call 217-370-3891. This messaging will be updated accordingly as local volunteer needs change. Understand that volunteers seeking opportunities other than manual labor will be welcomed when a matching task is available.

Taylorville Police Department and Christian County Sheriff’s Department have implemented a 9 p.m. curfew for areas affected by the tornado until further notice. Violators are subject to arrest or fines.

When it comes to donations, monetary donations are preferred. Any other donations are discouraged at this time.

"Missions for Taylorville" is the official monetary donation site. The site is maintained through US Bank. The address for donations is: Missions for Taylorville c/o City Hall, 115 North Main Street, Taylorville, Illinois 62568.

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©2018 the Effingham Daily News (Effingham, Ill.)

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