"It sounded like a train": Illinois residents start to pick up the pieces after tornadoes
Illinois is among several states cleaning up after getting hit by a rare outbreak of December tornadoes. The National Weather Service confirmed 23 twisters touched down there on Saturday, a record for this time of year.
A swarm of tornadoes tore through homes, businesses and trees. In the hard hit town of Taylorville, more than 500 structures were damaged. The tornadoes literally knocked houses off their foundations.
"I don't know if they would have survived in the basement. It moved the house 17 feet off the foundation," said Nick Hackney, whose home was damaged.
"It's just heartbreaking to see all of our things and their things everywhere," said Katie Hackney.
Butler resident Marvin Felton said he saw a tornado hit.
"I was right behind it and I felt the wind force of my car, it sounded like a train," Felton said.
In Lewiston, Katie Van Pelt was in her home when part of her roof and several walls peeled off.
"Everybody is OK and it's just, it's just replaceable things," she said.
The severe weather in Illinois was part of a line storms that spun tornadoes in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, where one person was killed.
