Coal City Organizing Volunteers For Tornado Cleanup Effort
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With lots of cleanup ahead in Coal City, after Monday night's tornado, a special volunteer effort has been planned for Friday.
In the wake of the storm, local officials set up a hotline to provide information to residents, and to volunteers who want to help.
Project coordinator Ryan Bedford said a lot of people have been calling the hotline to find out what they can do to assist the recovery effort. Donations of money are preferred to things like clothing, but hundreds of volunteers could show up on Friday to help get tornado victims on the road to recovery.
"We're looking for just people that want to help their neighbors, and those affected," Bradford said.
Bradford has been busy coordinating volunteers to clean up yards, remove debris, and more; similar to a cleanup project he orchestrated in 2013 for neighboring Diamond, after it was hit hard by a tornado.
"In two-and-a-half days, we had roughly 1,000 volunteers, and we were able to help the residents, and get their yards cleaned up. Volunteers make all the difference," he said.
Bedford said people who want to volunteer can simply show up at the Diamond Banquet Hall in Diamond on Friday. Volunteers will be organized into teams, and sent to areas that need help. He suggested wearing long pants, boots, and work gloves.
The volunteer hotline is 815-518-3047.