Quincy Reporter

Illinois state Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Moline) took to social media to issue his support for residents across the 47th District impacted by a string of severe storms that left a path of destruction in their wake.

The senator offered his thoughts and prayers on Facebook and said he would back the deployment of any state resources to help affected areas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) noted in a news release that several surpercell storms spawned a tornado that impacted several communities on April 4.

“The first supercell entered Schuyler County just after 5 pm, lifting north along the Illinois River Valley toward Peoria before dissipating as it approached a stronger capped environment,” the NWS said in the release. “A few supercell thunderstorms that tracked between Burlington, IA and Quincy, IL congealed into one massive supercell, strengthening as it entered Fulton County around 7 pm.”

The storm also produced baseball-sized hail and some tornadoes, including one that was designated as a long-track EF-3 storm with winds as high as 160 mph near the communities of Lewiston and Bryant in Fulton County.

“The supercell storm weakened as it moved into eastern Tazewell and Peoria counties, eventually dissipating over Woodford County due to the lack of daytime heating, which strengthened the capping inversion,” the NWS said.

Anderson later issued a full statement on his website.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to those who were impacted by the severe weather across our state and the 47th District,” he said in the statement. “In a matter of moments, residents had their livelihoods turned upside down and are now figuring out how to pick up the pieces and move on from here. I am working closely with emergency management officials, and I support any state resources needed during this tragic time.”

The April 4 storms were the latest in a string of dangerous weather. The NWS noted that tornadoes were spawned from severe weather on March 31, with damage reported in the northern portion of Illinois.

Those storms, which affected Crawford, Boone, DuPage, Sangamon and Marion counties, led to a disaster proclamation by Gov. JB Pritzker; according to an Illinois.gov press release. The disaster designation ensured that state agencies could work together in recovery efforts.

Anderson has served the 47th District since 2015, his website biography said. The district now includes portions and/or all of Adams, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mason, McDonough, Menard, Mercer, Peoria, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazwell and Warren counties. When not serving the residents of the district as a legislator in Springfield, he is a firefighter/paramedic in Moline.