¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý

GOREVILLE, Ill. (WSIL)-- People are still recovering from the EF-3 tornado that touched down on May 26th in Johnson County.

Now, the Salvation Army is trying to help home-owners

John Atkinson planned on making his forever home on Deaton Road in Goreville, but now three weeks after an EF-3 tornado came through. 

He's left picking up the pieces. 

“That was always the plan was to have a home here and garden, you know, the whole thing, the woods, and be kind of left alone,� Atkinson said.

But his next-door neighbor was not so lucky, The mobile home was left destroyed. Directly after the storm on May 26th Atkinson went to stay with his friends down the way. He says he checks on the neighbors that are still there.

“A lot of them aren't back around here yet. I walked down and talked to some of the people down there and looked at everything that was going on. But what I can do,� Atkinson said. 

Atkinson can still stay inside his home with his dog Pepperoni, but the Salvation Army will be bringing him a trailer till the damages are repaired. 

“Because the whole roof's gonna have to be repaired,� Atkinson says. “I mean, the whole thing and there's floors, the whole deck's gonna have to come off.�

The Territorial Disaster Resource Manager for the Salvation Army Central Territory, Jacob Heiser says he has been staying near the site, helping to assess the residents' needs.

“There were 34 houses that were directly affected,� Heiser said.

He says the damage assessment reports estimate right around 200 that were affected but did not have damage to the actual houses.

The Salvation Army wants people to know there's still a lot to do in the subdivision, and they need help.

"There's also a need for heavy equipment to move the debris. There's a need for trucks and dump trailers to move that debris to a county burn site," Heiser said.

Heiser was out there working by himself in a bobcat today, but he says his team has been out there for 3 weeks working. They know there is still a long road ahead for the homeowners.

“It takes them time to process that information and they're really starting to get a better picture of what their needs are currently,� Heiser said.

The day after the storm on May 26th,  Deaton Road was covered in trees and powerlines that blocked the street.

Officials told News 3 there was only one way in and out of the area. Heiser says just on Thursday, he finished fixing up Deaton Road.

“We were able to get that road reopened to the residence, which was a great relief to those residents being able to use that road again,�� Heiser said.

But over on Birch Tree Drive, there is about a five-foot hole in the middle of the street.

“It's definitely a huge hit to these residents walking in, seeing what happened to their properties, to their homes, everything they've built up over the years,� Heiser said.

Right now, the Salvation Army is talking with Johnson County to see if they can come back and help more. Heiser says people can donate to Salvation Army to help provide funding for additional help. 

"We're gonna work with other partners as well, and see if there's any other non-for-profits that can come back out for a second wave," Heiser said.

As for Atkinson, he's taking one step at a time. He says he plans to continue living on Deaton Road.