Coal City tornado victims begin recovery
COAL CITY, Ill. (WLS) --
The National Weather Service said the tornado that hit Coal City Monday night was an EF-3. It was the second tornado Coal City resident Bryan Phalen survived in just under two years.
"This one hit the house. The first one hit me when I was in the truck parked on (Interstate) 55. I can't explain why we're being singled out," Phalen said.
Tornado damage in Coal City, Ill.
A subdivision just behind the high school was one of the hardest hit areas. Two-by-fours with nails sticking out, gnarled sheet metal, broken glass and other hazardous debris covered the ground.
"My kids were all upset, saying, 'Mom, I lost this, I lost that.' But, you know what? We didn't get hurt. It's just stuff. We'll move on," said Kim Doglio, who lives in the subdivision.
"We're all healthy. We're all safe. I'm just happy with that right now," Deltlef Hultink said.
Immediately following the twister, around 60,000 ComEd customers lost power. It has been restored to about 90 percent of those customers.
The storm brought heavy rainfall to Coal City. On some streets, the flood water was knee-deep.
The risk of more severe weather on Wednesday has many residents concerned.