Kids & Family

'Complete Devastation' in Washington: Plainfield Relief Effort Continues

Local first responders are planning a second trip to tornado-stricken areas.

As word of the destruction spread, Plainfield residents responded to the call, rushing to aid survivors of the deadly tornados that struck Central Illinois on Sunday.

With the help of neighboring fire departments, Plainfield firefighter Adam Slick coordinated efforts to collect supplies for tornado survivors in Washington, Illinois, this week. The response was immediate: Area residents donated enough supplies to fill two 12-foot trailers, Slick said.

On Tuesday, Slick and his fellow volunteers drove a semi filled with the donations to Washington. What they saw when they got there was unbelievable, he said.

Find out what's happening in Plainfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“There was just debris everywhere,” Slick said. “It was just complete devastation.”

When volunteers arrived, there was an unexpected problem: Thanks to the large volume of donated supplies, there was no place to unload the items from Plainfield.

Find out what's happening in Plainfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Every building in town was just overloaded with supplies,” Slick said. “We ended up leaving our semi down there.”

After talking with residents, Plainfield-area volunteers are planning a second trip to Washington, Slick said.

He said he’s working with his chief and Plainfield Police Chief/PEMA director John Konopek to organize a second trip to help with cleanup. Right now, the tornado-stricken town is overwhelmed with volunteers, but Konopek said the need for aid will continue in the weeks to come.

After talking with organizers of the relief effort in Washington, Konopek said a second trip could happen in the next few weeks.

“After talking with them down there, they’re still in a huge state of influx — they don’t even have basic infrastructure right now,” he said. In just the first two days after the tornado, organizers in Washington received calls from about 3,000 people looking to volunteer, according to Konopek.

Currently, the Plainfield fire department is no longer accepting donations of supplies. In fact, according to the Washington Chamber of Commerce, there is no more room in town to house donations.

“Right now, what they need is monetary donations,” Slick said.

Donations can be made with the  American Red Cross - Central Illinois Chapter. Monetary donations can also be made to the City of Washington Relief Fund at Morton Community Bank; checks can be mailed to Morton Community Bank at 721 W. Jackson St., Morton, IL 61550.

Crossroads United Methodist Church in Washington is accepting donations online; click here to make a donation.


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