Residents Of Frankfort, Manhattan Vow To Rebuild
FRANKFORT, Ill. (CBS) -- The weather service estimates winds of up to 135 miles an hour hit Manhattan and Frankfort. Three days after that terrible tornado those communities are beginning to bounce back.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports the damage ranges from minimal to massive.
"It's like being in a giant blender," said Jim Allen Jr.
Inside his house, walls are missing, yet a clock on a nearby wall is still ticking. Allen says going through this tornado has given him a new perspective on life.
"We're doing fine. We all made it out safe. We still have a lot of our clothing, a lot of our possessions and people in Diamond, Coal City and Washington have nothing," said Allen.
Debbie Smith says she lost virtually every window in her home.
"The Manhattan community has been excellent. The Girl Scouts have given us donations. They went and got donations for us and just the outpour has just been great. It's heart-touching," said Smith.
In Manhattan Township, students from St. Joseph Catholic School volunteered to clear cornfields of barn debris that littered the field.
"Everybody out here lives in Manhattan and was within a mile and a half of the tornado that hit and we all know somebody that got hit, so this is a good way to pay it forward," said Jennifer Adair.
Every resident that CBS 2 talked to who sustained major damage vowed to stay and rebuild.
