Letter from Dave Tomlinson, HOPE worldwide National Coordinator of Disaster Services:
Brothers and sisters,
Yesterday, several tornadoes hit in and around ICOC congregations in Illinois.
I have been in contact with Nick Neargarder who leads the Bloomington-Normal Church. They are 25 minutes from Washington, Illinois, which was hit by an unexpected EF4 tornado. There were multiple deaths and injuries in Washington. Though some of the Bloomington church members live close to where the tornado touched down, none were harmed by the storm.
In Champaign County, an E2 tornado hit the small town of Gifford. No disciples from the Champaign church were harmed though family members of at least one disciple had significant damage to their homes. Disciples in Champaign are on their way to Gifford to assist with mass distribution and logistics.
We are fortunate that everyone from the ICOC congregations are safe. We are partnering with the American Red Cross and local Emergency Response teams in both Washington and Gifford, Illinois.
