A vicious tornado unexpectedly swept through the central Illinois city of Mattoon in the pre-dawn hours of March 28, devastating houses and strewing citizens’ possessions across the area.

The twister, spawned by a series of severe thunderstorms that pummeled most of Illinois that weekend, was the first to hit this city of about 20,000 since 1917. It first touched down at 5:25 a.m. Saturday in a affluent subdivision at the southwest corner of the city, ripping a roof off one house and slicing another in half. It then swept across the nearby Illinois Central railroad tracks, overturning several freight cars.

The tornado reportedly touched down several times, cutting across on a northeast path of destruction before dissipating. It narrowly missed a high school and a Hardee’s restaurant full of customers. It lasted about seven minutes, with the twister tearing apart several houses. Several people sustained minor injuries, including a 9-year-old girl who was hit in the back with a picture frame, but no deaths were reported.

Gov. Jim Edgar surveyed the area by helicopter before landing and touring the devastation by foot. He spoke with reporters and displaced residents while surveying the rubble.

As I helicoptored over and you saw the severity of where it did hit, it is a miracle nobody was killed or seriously injured, Edgar said during his survey of the area.

The residents had no advance warning to take shelter because no sirens were activated. Emergency Services and Disaster Agency officials said they were given the all clear from the National Weather Service just before the tornado hit, which is the reason no one watched the sky for a twister.

Every year, tornadoes strike portions of the United States with ferocity. The start of the tornado season roars in with spring and typically trails off with the start of the fall. However, many areas do not see a tornado until the hot summer days. For Mattoon, however, the season came early this year.

A tornado touchdown triggers a chain of responses within the state. Such a disaster springs the Illinois Emergency Management Agency into action.

Christine Tamminga, spokeswoman for the IEMA, said the process begins locally and funnels throughout the state government. The agency has managers in every county that provide 24-hour contact with the Springfield headquarters, and they are responsible for requesting help from the main operations center.

At that point, we assess the damage and determine what assistance and state resources are available, Tamminga said. We look at public health and safety issues and whether we have [Environmental Protection Agency] issues.

We are always in contact with the governor’s staff in order to determine if a state disaster declaration is necessary. We are there only to assist local units of government.

The state disaster declaration, which Gov. Edgar issued for Coles County after the Mattoon tornado, means the area requires more assistance than local authorities can supply. At that point, Tamminga said, it is up to the governor to declare the county a disaster area which he can do in two ways:Either by listening to the damage status given by the IEMA or by personally surveying the area.

Assets and resources are provided with no expense to the local government.

Anything that can be provided by the state of Illinois that will enable local units of government not to have to utilize their own budget and resources to do the same thing is given, Tamminga said. We encourage local governments to do that and it lessens the burden on their budget. It is paid out for by the governor’s disaster relief fund that is a component of our budget through the IEMA.

Since he is a native of Coles County, Edgar wanted to examine the area himself, Tamminga said. He flew in from Washington D.C. for the inspection.

The declaration and assistance lasts for about 30 days, but that depends on the magnitude of the disaster. The 1993 [Mississippi River] floods were different because we declared different parts at different times disaster areas, Tamminga said.

Meteorologist Doc Horsley, an assistant professor in geography, says although Southern Illinois is not a flat area, the chance of a tornado striking here is just as great as the one that hit Mattoon.

The chance of a tornado hitting any one spot is a one in 250 chance of any square mile, Horsley said. It can hit any county in the US., any day of the year. Tornadoes have been spotted every day of the year but one (Jan. 4).

The western plains are emphasized by weatherman as breeding grounds for tornadoes because that is where they frequently appear. A narrow region stretching east to the Atlantic seaboard, including central Illinois, has been called tornado alley, a term that is misused, Horsley said.

The notion of a tornado alley is foolish, Horsley said. There is no set location for tornadoes.

If a tornado or funnel cloud is spotted, the best course of action is to seek some kind of indoor shelter. People should stay away from windows and go to a basement. Trailer park residents should go to a different location, Horsley said.

Trailers are unsafe unless they have major tie-downs, Horsley said. Going to a nearby concrete building in the trailer park or someone’s basement is the smartest thing, if there has been a tornado warning.

The difference between a tornado watch and a warning is something people have trouble understanding. A watch means conditions are right to spawn tornadoes, so people should keep alert of possible danger. A warning means a tornado has touched down and is moving toward the listening or viewing area.

Our own studies have shown that 8 or 9 percent go to the basement in a watch, Horsley said. That is not being sensible. At the same time studies show when people hear a warning, they don’t all go to safety. Only one in five dozen take cover.

That is probably because everyone wants to see the tornado.

Movies such as Twister popularized storm-chasers, who track thunderstorms and tornadoes. Although it may seem glamorous, Horsley said it is not a wise thing to do, especially if one is in a vehicle.

If you can stop and take a look at its motion, you might be able to tell which direction it’s going, Horsley said. If it is closer, you might be able to outrun it. But it may not be as easy to pick it up until it is close to you.

Despite their intensity and great potential, tornadoes are not a major disaster in terms of deaths.

We only have 40 to 50 people a year get killed by tornadoes, Horsley said. That is not as many as other major catastrophes, so we are either getting better by paying attention or we have so much information that we have time to repair. Lightning kills twice as many people as tornadoes.

Maybe the reason we care so much about tornadoes is they have more potential.

With the amount of students who reside on campus, a tornado touchdown could wreak havoc with any one of the number of residence halls on campus.

Although three residence halls are high-rise complexes, Steve Kirk, assistant director of Residence Life, said students in all locations are not advised to leave their floors.

What we advise is that the bathrooms are a very good place to go to because they are completely interior rooms and there are no windows, Kirk said. It is a pretty good place to be.

Another reason students are not asked to move to lower floors is because of the number of students.

If you look at one building you are talking about roughly 800 students, Kirk said. There is not enough space and it would take 15 to 20 minutes to move them all.

Students should keep an eye on the sky and listen for the local warning sirens for notification of bad weather. If possible, they should carry a portable radio with them to listen for more information.

Kirk said resident assistants and staff circulate the floors to inform residents when the danger is past. However, students should also stay tuned to their radios for that information as well.