ANNAWAN, Ill — After storms on Tuesday, Feb. 27 resulted in a tornado hitting the town of Annawan, farmer Jay Minnaert is picking up the pieces of his damaged farm.
He says he was south of Highway 6 when the storm arrived.
"I had at least four buildings damaged during the storm," Minnaert said. "A lot of my agriculture machinery for spring work was also damaged in the process."
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was a high-end EF-1. It formed about four miles west of Annawan at around 6:56 p.m. Winds reached at 110 miles per hour, and ended at around 7:04 p.m.
Minnaert says he didn't believe the storm would be this devastating and is unsure about the cost of the damages.
"I didn't get a chance to see the storm, I just heard it," Minnaert said. "Mother Nature never makes things easy, but all I can do is recover from this."
The farm deals with corn, soybeans and wheat. With the season around the corner, Minnaert is hopeful he will still be ready for it.
"We're fortunate enough. We got about six weeks to get ready before we're going to plant," Minnaert said. "We have a little time to get it together, and I know we will get it done."
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