[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11855]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CAMERON AND DELEVAN, ILLINOIS, TORNADOES

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, for the third time this year, Illinois 
communities are assessing damage and cleaning up after tornadoes. One 
twister struck the town of Cameron, in Warren County, on Thursday 
evening. Moments later, another struck the town of Delevan, in Tazewell 
County. The tornadoes were accompanied by storms with heavy rain and 
flooding.
  The National Weather Service says both tornadoes were category EF-2. 
That means that the winds blew up to 130 miles per hour. Homes in both 
small towns suffered severe damage. Several homes had roofs torn off, 
while others were completely flattened. The tornado that hit Delevan 
touched down without warning because tornado sirens lost power a few 
seconds after they began to sound.
  Debris from homes and farms was scattered across the community. Many 
roads in the community were impassible due to down trees and power 
lines. Emergency responders wasted no time going house to house in both 
communities. I spoke with Warren County sheriff Martin Edwards on 
Friday afternoon. Thankfully, there were no fatalities or serious 
injuries reported.
  The communities are busy cleaning up today and utility companies are 
working to get gas and electricity back on. Over the weekend, Sparky's 
Smokeshack set up a smoker on the edge of Cameron. The popular rib 
joint served up free meals to anyone who needed them. American Red 
Cross volunteers also are providing food and water. As is so often the 
case when a disaster like this strikes, first responders and friends 
and family members are helping people whose homes and businesses were 
damaged. I thank the first responders and all of the members of these 
communities for their work.
  The Illinois delegation and I stand ready to help in any way we can, 
particularly if the Governor requests Federal assistance. I have no 
doubt that the people in Cameron and Delevan will rebuild. Our thoughts 
are with the many people today who lost homes and other property.

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