Gallery: Tornado damages southern Illinois communities

By Morgan Timms and Jacob Wiegand
March 1, 2017

Joker Young, of Carbondale, surveys Oren Coffer’s horse and cattle farm as he detangles strands of hay from a wire fence Wednesday, March 1, 2017, while helping Coffer rebuild his property after Tuesday’s tornado off Elkville Road in Vergennes. The tornado levelled Coffer’s 101-year-old barn and numerous other structures on his property. “It’s a miracle,” Coffer said. “Looking at this place, with all the damage, it’s a miracle nobody was hurt.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Calves graze next fallen tree limbs Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Ava the morning after a tornado traveled through the community. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)
Mark Clover, of Willisville, speaks on the phone outside his sister-in-law Kassi Coulson’s home Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Ava. (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)
Seven-year-old Mayson Robinson, of Willisville, traverses the wreckage of his aunt Kassi Coulson’s barn Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Ava. Tuesday night a tornado damaged the roof of Coulson’s home, — from which daylight can now be seen from inside the house, destroyed the family’s barn — knocked down trees and damaged vehicles. “You just don’t think it’s going to hit you like that,” Coulson said. “All in like a blink of an eye just the wind was in here, my five-year-old’s crying and screaming. … When I was shutting that door I could literally feel the air in here. I thought that window was open, I didn’t realize it was the roof.” (Jacob Wiegand | @jawiegandphoto)
An overturned truck is seen from Illinois Route 13 on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, after Tuesday’s tornado in Vergennes. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Laurie Rendleman, of Vergennes, and Dusty Young, of Carbondale, carry fence segments Wednesday, March 1, 2017, while helping Oren Coffer rebuild his farm after the severe damage caused by Tuesday’s tornado off Elkville Road in Vergennes. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Josh Sarensen, of Vergennes, unchains a fallen fence Wednesday, March 1, 2017, while helping Oren Coffer rebuild his farm after the severe damage caused by Tuesday’s tornado in Vergennes. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Dusty Young, of Carbondale, carries a fence segment Wednesday, March 1, 2017, while helping Oren Coffer rebuild his horse and cattle farm after Tuesday’s tornado off Elkville Road in Vergennes. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Snapped power lines dangle from a tilting telephone pole Wednesday, March 1, 2017, after Tuesday’s tornado off Illinois Route 13 in Vergennes. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Ameren linemen Joseph Ewing, of Salem, left, and Brandon Diekemper, of Carlyle, scrape dirt off the auger blade of a digger truck Wednesday, March 1, 2017, as they work to replace a telephone pole snapped in half during Tuesday’s tornado off Illinois Route 13 in Vergennes. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
India Marsh surveys the destruction of her Elkville home Wednesday, March 1, 2017, after a tornado ripped through the town and several surrounding southern Illinois communities Tuesday night. Marsh said she has lived in the house her whole life. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)

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