HECKER, Ill. — One of the areas hardest hit by severe storms in the Metro East Saturday night was Hecker, Illinois, where radar confirmed a tornado touched down on Saturday night.
Neighbors were lending a hand as the cleanup process began across the town Sunday.
5 On Your Side was at the scene on Saturday night and spoke with a homeowner after a tree came crashing through her living room roof.
Sunday morning daylight revealed how much damage had occurred with down trees and power lines, across the city.
The winds were so strong that a part of a home's garage wall was ripped completely off.
Noah Dillard has lived in his home for 20 years and rode out the storm in his basement.
"It was pretty scary. We went out in the garage to see where it was coming and that’s when I saw the pollens from the trees doing a little circular thing, so I was like, 'Oh OK, time to get to the basement.' By the time we got down there and huddled in the corner, we heard this tree come through the back window, glass was breaking everywhere, and we just stayed down there for a while until we thought it was clear," he said.
Like many in Monroe County on Sunday morning, Dillard is now trying to figure out what to do next.
"I don’t know what we are going to do. I don’t know when the electric is coming on, even if it does, if the house is usable. Might have to go stay with somebody. Not really sure," he said.
Saturday night's storm uprooted a backyard tree right on top of Dillard's home.
"All the shingles came out of the backside. It was like it was raining inside. The light fixtures had water pouring off it, like it was a faucet," he said.
The high winds blew trampolines in the air and pieces of Dillard's home across the street.
"You can see, the entire neighborhood is speckled with my shingles, so that's nice," he said.
Once the sun came up, Monroe County Public Safety Director Kevin Scheibe, was back out assessing the damage.
"Last night the evening started out as a calm night and turned into a very long evening throughout the county of Monroe. We had a very long night and eventually, we'll get some sleep," he said.
According to Scheibe, every community in the county was impacted by the storms from Hecker to Valmeyer to Maeystown.
"Lots of structural damage. We’ve got lots of roofs that need to be repaired with shingles. We have a few houses that their walls were taken down. No casualties, thankfully. The public was very much prepared. They do what they are taught, and everybody did well," he said.
While there are a lot of repairs to be done, Scheibe said there are a lot of extra helping hands.
"The traffic has truly increased in Hecker," he said.
Scheibe is certain this community will rebuild together.
"Everybody is there to help one another. That's what makes Monroe County very unique," he said.
Ameren customers in Hecker will likely be without power until Monday, April 17 at 10 p.m., the company said.
Residents are advised to stay away from downed power lines and avoid the area if they can.