Aftermath of Friday Tornado That Levels South Central FS Plant at Gays

BY TAMMIE SLOUP, FARMWEEK

Julie Tomlinson was watching the local news at about 9:30 p.m. Friday when a familiar scene came across her screen.

The severe weather was the top story that night, but Tomlinson, energy management specialist with South Central FS Inc. in Gays, was still surprised to see her workplace pop up in the news broadcast.

“I saw our fuel tanks off in the distance, and sure enough, I got the phone call shortly after that that our FS plant, which is our total energy plant for the company, was flat,” Tomlinson told RFD Radio’s Jim Taylor.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln confirmed an EF2 tornado passed through the area shortly before 10 p.m.

“Our energy plant is a total loss,” said Tomlinson, adding she’s grateful no one was injured and the co-op can rebuild.“Our goal is to build back at that location and take care of our customers.”

Tomlinson said a couple neighbor farmers suffered extensive damage, and the tornado took a path through the country, avoiding the more populated towns.

At South Central, the twister rolled fuel trucks and leveled structures.

“It looks like somebody had just moved the building completely and swept the concrete,” Tomlinson said.

Today, the site is clean thanks to the FS family and employees who showed up first thing Saturday to lend a hand.

They were able to salvage some totes and drums and package items from the oil warehouse, which were taken to a different location.

The tornado was the second disaster to strike at the plant this year.

“We had a fire Jan. 25 at a different building, so we had a new building reordered that was supposed to be built in January, and the foundations, footings were being poured for that and tresses being built for our new building so hopefully we’ll be rebuilt there sooner rather than later,” Tomlinson. “We’re using our other locations and facilities to take care of customers.”

Moultrie County is one of 29 Illinois counties declared as state and federal disaster areas.

The worst damage in Illinois was reported in Madison County, where the storm system collapsed an Amazon warehouse, killing at least six.