SHERRARD, Ill. — As many throughout the greater Quad Cities region pick up the pieces after Monday's derecho, one family in Sherrard is dealing with storm damage to their multi-generational family farm.
The Weihler family have owned their farm in Sherrard since the 1860s. Carrie Weihler, who lives on the property with her husband, said they were able to find safety right when the storm was at their home.
"A beam actually went through a sliding glass door and ended up in the recliner in the living room," she said. "And there was shattered glass everywhere. And we were just thankful that (we) went downstairs because it was three to five minutes, and we would have been standing right there."
Carrie and her husband are the fifth generation to take up the land. Among the buildings on the farm is a barn that has stood since 1869. The storm ripped parts of the roof off with debris landing nearby. Carrie said the barn was built by their ancestors from Germany, which makes it especially sentimental to them.
Carrie's son, Stuart, grew up on the farm and the sight of the property when he pulled up was saddening.
"As we approached the farm it started to become unrecognizable," he said. "You know a lot of it's gonna be able to be rebuilt. It gonna take a week to clean all this up and then we'll have to start to rebuild from there. But it was very sad to see a lot of these really old buildings. You know it's hard to put them back the way they were once built."
Stuart said neighbors and other community members joined together to give a helping hand.
"The farmers out here and just the people who live here are amazing people," he said. "We've had people stopping by all morning bringing food and drinks and doing different things. We're a strong community and we'll get through this."