Lives Turned Upside Down in Illinois

Jay Dyer was working on a tugboat when the storms began to approach. He immediately called to check on his wife Cindy and their two children. No answer. 

It would be hours before he heard anything. 

On a country road just outside of Brookport, Illinois, Cindy, Hunter and Danielle were watching a movie in the family’s new trailer when the sky began to turn dark. 

There were no warnings. No sirens. It wasn’t until the windows began to blow out that they knew the tornado was on top of them. Cindy threw her 11-year-old son to the ground as the trailer began to flip. 

No more than a minute later they found themselves climbing and lifting their way out of decimated trailer, which was now across the street. Seventeen-year-old Danielle was laying in the middle of the road, with her back covered in tiny holes from the tree limbs and debris. 

Cindy had saved her son, lifted them out of the trailer and picked up her daughter from the road. It’s amazing what a person can accomplish in the face of disaster. You see, Cindy had broken her back in three places and one of her legs in two. 

When we met Jay, a few days after the storm, he was picking through the remnants of debris.

“I don’t understand why my family was spared, when others weren’t as lucky.” All he knows is he’s grateful. Grateful they are alive and grateful for all the help they’ve received. 

Service International, who we partnered with to bring relief in Brookport, spent hours cleaning up debris, cutting trees and tirelessly searching for any piece of metal they could find. With limited insurance, Jay plans to sell the metal to replace his family’s belongings. 

Jay’s family is just one of so many stories that we heard in Brookport, and we were honored to be a part of helping them pick up the pieces in that devastating time.