06/16/2026
Tornado WARNING for tomorrow‼️
Please pleaseee have a storm shelter plan in place as our community office is not a designated storm shelter.
We've made it through severe weather a thousand times before and we'll have a thousand more chances to go in our lifetimes.
That being said, Wednesday's potential is one of those that could leave some serious bruises as it passes through. It's definitely a contender for one of the more serious events we've seen in these parts in some years.
A tornado warning is a tornado warning, no matter the risk level or the number or the wording or the scary Facebook post you see. You should always take immediate action when one is issued for your area. That is no different tomorrow. In, down, up are things I teach in schools. Inside, interior room, down as low as you can, cover up with blankets, bike helmets, mattresses, etc. If I've been to your child's school before, those three words are drilled into their brains.
One thing that concerns me though is if everyone does know where to go. Mobile homes, manufactured homes, cars, open span rooms like auditoriums, gymnasiums and big box stores with large open ceilings are simply not the place to be Wednesday afternoon/evening.
A basement or identified tornado shelter at a place of business is the key here. Between 5-10p, if you don't have a designated safe place to go, you'll want to be a few minutes at the most away from it. Probably not a good idea to go shopping or be somewhere unfamiliar with the tornado threat that could play out tomorrow evening in Central Illinois.
If you're in home that isn't a site built structure, call a friend/relative and tell them you're coming over. Bring snacks. Bring wine. Bring fresh baked cookies.
If you have a neighbor that doesn't have a safe place, invite them over.
We will get through it the way we always have, no matter how bad it gets tomorrow.
