A Humbling Experience

By Jason Skidmore



This week I have been in Harrisburg, IL helping out the victims of the February 29th tornado. I have seen storm damage in the past in my home town. It was nothing compared to the damage I saw when touring the neighborhoods in Harrisburg. I was taken aback by the extremity of the damage. They had already been cleaning up for 2 weeks, so the damage was much worse a couple weeks ago. One family we met with to discuss their new home invited us into their house, or what was left of it. At the same time we met with this family they were being helped by an organization called Operation Blessing. It is very surreal to walk into a house that has missing walls, a missing roof, and debris everywhere. The stories of survival are incredible. As we stood looking at a completely exposed and destroyed upstairs bedroom, one younger couple with a baby talked of how they barely made it down the stairs before the tornado hit. After seeing the damage and hearing the stories it is a wonder that there were not more injuries and deaths associated with this tornado. Talking with the victims one gets a sense that they are still somewhat in shock over what has transpired, yet there is an overwhelming sense of hope and determination in rebuilding their lives. When they talk about the houses that will replace their old ones you can tell that they are ready to move on and get back to a life of normalcy. Hopefully the work that is being done by the SIUC School of Architecture will help boost the spirits of the community and get them on the right track to restoring what was once close nit neighborhood and community. Below are a few pictures of the damage we surveyed during our tour of the community.