Live Blog: Friday's tornadoes were Bloomington-Normal's first in 20 years
Here's the latest reporting from the WGLT Newsroom following severe storms and tornadoes that walloped McLean County on Friday, April 17, 2026.
How to get help if you lost food during a power outage
If you receive SNAP benefits and lost food due to a power outage of four hours or more, you can apply for replacement benefits.
The McLean County Emergency Management Agency says there's a short window to apply, so don't delay.
Here is information about the program, and the form you need to fill out.
Tornado struck homes on Normal's North Linden Street
On Monday, Cheryl and Mark Hitzner waited, with as much patience as they could muster, for the cleanup process to get underway at their North Linden Street home in Normal.
“We can’t do anything until they remove this tree,” said Cheryl, looking out in her front yard, at the giant Hackberry that had fallen on their roof – and their neighbors’ homes.
As of Monday, the Hitzners’ home still had no power – except for basic levels gained from a generator. Cheryl said she was exasperated, but glad no one was killed or injured in Friday’s tornadoes. She and her husband and their 18-year-old cat Romeo sheltered in the basement Friday night.
“We heard the sirens, so we went downstairs. A short time later, we heard this horrible ‘boom’ and lost electricity,” she said, recounting the storms.
“Then we came upstairs: The tree split. Half landed on our house. The other half landed three properties to the north,” she said.
Normal Fire Department came Friday night. But it all was a blur, she said. “There was just so much going on, and so many people here,” she said.
“I was just in so much shock that it took until Saturday morning for me to really visualize what had happened,” She laughed, saying after 25 years living at the home, this weekend they felt like it was a sightseeing spot. “I wished we could have charged a fee for everybody that’s been here taking pictures. It’s just been unreal,” she said, laughing at the situation.
“It’s going to take at least a day or two to get this tree out of here,” she said.
On Monday, the couple was awaiting an insurance appraisal, and then a crane to remove the tree. After that, once the roof gets temporarily patched, Cheryl expected the power to be turned back on. But that’s just the beginning of the long process ahead.
“There’s extensive damage not only to our roof, but also to the trusses, to our chimney, to our gutters, to our inside living room ceiling where its leaked.”
AFSCME groundskeeper says strike is impacting tree cleanup efforts at ISU
As crews clean up the Twin Cities after this weekend's severe weather, downed trees and brush are lingering around the Illinois State University campus longer than usual.
That’s according to Matt Moore, a groundskeeper at ISU. He is among the over 300 striking AFSCME Local 1110 workers on campus.
Moore said without his team, the work to clean up the brush is not efficient.
“I don’t believe that my bosses are certified to be able to look at a tree and determine whether it’s going to be safe or not and which way things are going to fall,” he said. “That’s why we have this position here.”
Fallen trees, such as the large one on the corner of College Avenue and Main Street, would normally be his job. Moore and others on the grounds team are trained to use chainsaws and other machinery to handle the work.
“We do have a tree surgeon that would probably be handling most of the big trees or any ones that could be a safety [hazard] to the students, and then you would have all the people that take care of the grounds go out in their biddable areas and they would pick up sticks and the stuff that they can manage,” Moore said.
“And then you would have the tree surgeon and two people go around and pick up the bigger stuff with a loader if it’s that big or just take a ton truck and just throw stuff in the back while he’s cutting stuff up.”
With the severity of the storm, Moore said he would have expected to spend the weekend and Monday working overtime to clean up the brush. He said the work is not as quick or efficient without his team, leading to trees still being on campus.
He said it is frustrating not to be able to help.
"At least the stuff around [CEFCU] Arena should have been picked up,” he said.
ISU spokesperson Chis Coplan said the university handled storm debris cleanup and related tasks “similar to any storm event.” That included athletic field and equipment restoration.
“Following a storm, university employees have typically provided, and in this case did provide, light clean up, with external contractors scheduled for large tree removals,” Coplan said.
He added the University High School athletic fields were damaged. He said its dugouts, bleachers and soccer equipment are being evaluated to be repaired or replaced.
AFSCME Local 1110 is on its 13th day of striking.
State Farm opens Customer Care Site in Bloomington after tornadoes
State Farm has received over 1,300 fire and auto claims in Illinois, coming out of last weekend's storms.
The Bloomington-based insurer said many of the claims come from the central and the northwestern areas of the state.
State Farm says it expects the number to rise significantly as customers continue to identify damage and report their claims.
“Our hearts go out to the families, neighborhoods, and communities whose lives have been impacted by last Friday's tornadoes in Bloomington-Normal and the surrounding areas of Central Illinois,” said a company spokesperson.
The company has opened a Customer Care Site located at State Farm Corporate Headquarters, Lot J, on the corner of Veterans Parkway and East Oakland Avenue in Bloomington.
Country Financial now up to 1,500 claims across 5 states, including Illinois
Country Financial said at midafternoon that is has so far received more than 1,500 property and auto claims across five states from the Friday night and Saturday morning storms. Most of the claims are in Illinois.
"The majority of our claims are from wind. So we're seeing damaged roofs, siding, fencing. We're seeing debris from limbs as well as just lawn furniture, striking homes and striking people's vehicles as well," said Jesse Kohlbecker, vice president for claims and client experience.
Kohlbecker said a secondary set of claims involves water damage because power outages prevented sump pumps from functioning.
So far, the highest number of claims have been filed in the towns of Durand and Lena in Northern Illinois where an F-2 tornado touched down. Bloomington-Normal ranks third in the number of claims.
Country Financial is bringing in claims adjustors from other states to assess severe damage. He says technology can help assess smaller claims based on video and photo images submitted by residents.
Kohlbecker said the most recent storms are likely to be the costliest weather incident of the five since May 10.
'It was like the Wizard of Oz' says Bloomington resident as cleanup continues
Besides workers clearing trees and addressing structural damage from Friday’s tornadoes, the McLean County Emergency Agency also has enlisted volunteers to help assess damage.
On Monday, two of those volunteers walked along Hershey — taking photos and notes.
Ryan Newby, who lives in southwest Bloomington but grew up in the neighborhood around Hershey and Clearwater, and Ryan Friel, of St. Louis and formerly of Bloomington, said they wanted to give back, and help out.
Newby is a Country Financial agent, and Friel works in emergency management in Missouri. But neither was working for their jobs Monday. Newby said he’d answered the EMA’s social media post seeking helpers.
“My parents still live in the neighborhood,” Newby added.
1400 block of Ridgeport Ave., Bloomington
Sarah and Forrest Webster were home with their 5-year-old twins and toddler Friday when the tornado came through.
On Monday, as crew worked on her yard, Sarah Webster recounted the event.
The family was in the basement. After what she believed was an all-clear siren blare, Sarah took the little one up to bed. But that’s when the worst wind hit.
“After the sirens had stopped, me and my 20-month-old were upstairs. My dog actually threw himself on us," Webster said.
The house shook, as the golden retriever and the mother and baby listened to the wind howl.
“It was like the Wizard of Oz, that’s the only way I can describe it,” said Sarah Webster.
After, she reunited with her husband and twins downstairs. “We were all pretty scared.” Later, the couple ventured out to see Ridgeport.
“It was like a war zone out here after the storm,” she said describing damage to her block. Trees blocked driveways, and the road until crews came around Saturday.
'Feeling of unity'
Austin and Mackenzie Peden and their young daughter live across the street from the Websters.
“It was honestly about 10 seconds worth of really hard winds – the frame of our house was shaking. Then it kind of subsided,” said Austin Peden, recalling how his family stayed in the basement watching weather coverage on TV.
A few minutes later, Peden went up to survey the aftermath. Looking out front, he saw “a 40-foot tree, there on our Subaru.” Despite the damage to the car, his house seems to have escaped any harm. So, he said he considers himself lucky — in comparison to some of the repairs his neighbors' properties are facing.
On Monday, he looked north along Ridgeport, shaking his head in disbelief at the scene: It was busy. Tree removal trucks and roofing contractor vehicles created a bottleneck on the residential street, along with the piles of tree branches piled at the curbs.
But Peden said a silver lining that was seeing people come together.
“On Saturday it was kind of that feeling of unity you get within in a community after something like this happens. All our neighbors were out here helping everybody, borrowing chainsaws,” and helping assess damage.
“I may have talked to my neighbors more on Saturday and Sunday than I have all year,” he said. “That was kind of cool to see.”
Contractors help with trees
Contractors Victor Garcia and Emmanuel Herrera were busy Monday with chainsaws cutting down a damaged tree that had knocked down a length of chain fence in the Websters’ backyard.
Garcia said the crew had lots of work behind them, and ahead, with tree and roof damages around the community. They were heading to another nearby address later Monday afternoon.
Bloomington-Normal went 20 years without a tornado. Then 3 in one night
The three tornadoes that tore through Bloomington-Normal on Friday night were the first tornadoes the Twin Cities had experienced in 20 years.
“To get that many across that small area is pretty rare,” Illinois state climatologist Trent Ford said, adding Bloomington-Normal had encountered only three tornadoes since the turn of the century – and two of those were on the outskirts of the community.
That differs from last week’s tornadoes, where all three went through densely populated areas and lasted much longer than the previous three.
“Those were very small, short-track tornadoes, these were much longer. A couple of the tornadoes from Friday went 10, 12 miles, so quite a long track as well,” Ford said.
All three tornadoes last Friday were of EF1 strength, with wind speeds topping 100 miles per hour. There were no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Three other tornadoes were also confirmed in McLean County outside the Twin Cities.
The last tornado in April 2006 was an EF0. It skirted northeast of Normal in an area that at the time was sparsely populated, Ford said.
Another EF0 tornado in May 2004 ran southeast of Downtown Bloomington. An EF1 tornado in August 2000 landed near the Mitsubishi Motors plan [now the Rivian plant].
Tornadoes are rare for Bloomington-Normal, but Ford dispels the myth that urban areas are less likely to experience tornadoes. He said tornadoes are more likely to land in rural parts of McLean County because the county’s land mass is mostly rural.
“It is pure luck where tornadoes occur but the fact that our cities are growing, there’s much stuff in the way, especially increasing the chances of an impact,” Ford said.
Ford said it’s unclear if Bloomington-Normal ever had three tornadoes in one weather event, since historical tornado data is difficult to track before the advent of radar in the 1990s.
Rivian 'incredibly relieved' there no injuries after tornado hit R2 plant
Rivian leadership says they’re “incredibly relieved” no one was injured when a tornado damaged the R2 plant at its sprawling Normal complex.
Building 2 on the far south side of Rivian’s complex was damaged by Friday’s EF-1 tornado. That building is part of a big recent expansion to make room for production of the new R2 model.
Rivian said Building 2 is closed as they complete damage assessment, but operations are expected to resume in Building 2 sometime this week. Operations at other facilities continue as planned.
In a message to employees, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said he’s “incredibly relieved to share that there were no injuries at our plant.”
“In the face of this event, what stands out most to me is the way our team responded. Thank you to our team members on site who sought safe shelter and followed our emergency management protocols when the tornado alarms sounded. I am proud of how everyone came together, not just to follow safety protocols, but to support one another and lead the cleanup and repair efforts with such care and determination. It’s in moments like these that the true character of Rivian shows through,” Scaringe wrote.
Rivian makes its electric trucks, SUVs and vans in Normal.
Town of Normal has collected 3,900 cubic yards of brush since Friday’s severe weather
The Town of Normal has collected 3,900 cubic yards of brush since Friday’s severe weather. Public Works Director Ryan Otto said that it is equal to about two feet deep of brush enough to cover a football field.
He said six crews were out during the weekend and remain out Monday to assist residents.
“We worked some long days, both of [Saturday and Sunday], and we’ve made some good progress in terms of cleaning up the tree and brush debris that was the unfortunate result of the tornado that went through Normal,” he said.
“So, our crews are doing a great job working with our parks and rec crews and public works. It’s a collective effort.”
Otto said all streets in the town are open. The severe weather caused the partial closures of School Street, Linden Street and West College Avenue.
Other high priority areas included the center of town, including Uptown Normal.
“All the way from Savannah Green out to Ironwood and Heather Ridge and then going over to the Parkside Junior High School area,” said Otto. “All those had some pretty heavy debris, so we are working a lot in those areas, but, really, we saw damage all over town.”
Otto said crews are still working overtime to address necessary work after an entire weekend of overtime which required communication with Ameren and Corn Belt Energy to return power to residents.
Otto anticipates working until at least next week.
“There’s a lot of trees and things that are in people’s backyards, we know. So, as folks continue to cut trees and put them out, we’ll keep picking them up until it’s all done,” he said.
Regularly scheduled garbage, brush and bulk pickup will continue as normal.
McLean County EMA using drones to survey damage
The McLean County Emergency Management Agency and its team of volunteers are using drones to survey damage stemming from Friday night's storms.
On Sunday, EMA's drone team completed a damage assessment in Colfax and Cooksville in rural parts of the county. Full scale damage assessment begins Monday morning.
Country Financial already at 778 claims in Illinois from Friday's storms
Country Financial said Monday that it’s already received 778 claims from Illinois customers following Friday’s severe weather. That includes 51 claims submitted from Bloomington.
The bulk of Country’s claims are from hail and wind damage, plus sump pump and other weather-related perils. There was also damage in Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Bloomington-based Country said its claims representatives are deploying to areas most significantly impacted by recent severe weather to assist clients across the Midwest.
How to mitigate further loss
If you are a client of Country and believe you may have a claim arising out of these storms, we encourage you to take the following steps:
- Report your claim promptly by calling 866-COUNTRY (866-268-6879), or by visiting us online at countryfinancial.com, or through using our mobile app to start the claims process.
- Make an inventory list of all damaged property, including vehicles, and take photos of all damage to document your claim.
- If there is spoiled food in the refrigerator, take pictures of the food products and refrigerator before throwing them out.
- When safe, take steps to prevent further damage such as tarping roofs.
- Save all receipts from emergency repairs, including receipts for basic items such as tarps or duct tape.
Claims filing tips
Once a Country client reports a claim, it will be assigned to a claims representative who will contact the client for more details concerning the claim. Depending on the type of claim that is filed, the damage may be inspected in person. Take advantage of digital capabilities during your claims processing experience, such as:
- Filing your claim digitally on countryfinancial.com.
- Emailing directly with your adjuster when needed.
- Uploading documents and materials digitally.
- If eligible, please use Electronic Funds Transfers for quick and efficient payments.
If a Country client has questions, you can contact 866-COUNTRY (866-268-6879) or visit countryfinancial.com for more details.