Daily Real Estate News | Friday, November 22, 2013
As the devastation heaped on communities in Central Illinois becomes clearer after an outbreak of powerful tornadoes Sunday, REALTORS® across the state and beyond are mobilizing to help victims.
Initial estimates from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency count more than 1,000 homes as completely destroyed or suffering major damage. Officials say eight people died in the storms — and the death toll may rise further. According to the Peoria Area Association of REALTORS®, about 15 of its members are now homeless.
From the Illinois Association of REALTORS® to the Chicago association, and many more that were closer to the paths of the twisters, REALTORS® have been funneling thousands of dollars to communities in desperate need of emergency supplies. Some real estate practitioners have even met the call packing their own trucks full of supplies and physically drive them to the hardest-hit areas. “It doesn’t matter where something happens; everyone acts like it’s their own community,” says IAR spokesman Jon Broadbooks. “That’s a remarkable thing for any association to be able to say.”
Dallas Hancock, CEO of the Peoria Area Assocation of REALTORS®, said she has seen the worst damage caused by Sunday’s tornadoes while walking through the destroyed town of Washington, Ill., handing out emergency aide to victims.
“When you walk around this neighborhood, I’ve got to tell you — and I’ve seen this kind of stuff on TV before — but when you walk around, you say, ‘How could that house have ended up in this crumble?’” Hancock says. “Someone’s entire life is gone.”
Read about how REALTORS® are helping the recovery in Illinois, and find opportunities to pitch in. —By Graham Wood, REALTOR® Magazine