This past Sunday, an EF-4 tornado devastated the small Illinois town of Washington. It has been determined that up to 500 homes were destroyed, and nearly 1000 homes suffered damage.
Washington is a small community of 15,000 people, too small to qualify for Federal assistance. While Gov. Quinn is trying to petition for an exemption, nothing is certain at this time.
A member of the SRSI team grew up in Washington, with much of his family and friends still residing there. Many have lost homes, cars, and other personal belongings. To do our part in helping the community, we are holding a company-wide donation to send items such as home goods, personal hygiene items, clothing, toys and gift cards for food and gas to the residents of Washington. In addition to these materials, we are looking to send a team there to work on repairing some of the roofs destroyed by the storm.
The combination of destruction that took place, the time of year, and lack of government aid at this time make it a situation where donations are very much needed. Tis the season for giving, especially when a disaster such as this has occurred. We encourage you to do your part in any way you can.
To find out more about the ways in which you can help the residents of Washington, visit the Washington IL Tornado Recovery Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-IL-Tornado-Recovery/361545887315736
Image courtesy of WQAD
