Kankakee Public Library's newest collection features items recovered from EF-3 tornado
The Kankakee Public Library is stepping up in a big way after an EF-3 tornado tore through the county earlier this month.
The library's newest collection is technically on loan from neighbors known and unknown.
"I've got a whole pile here. I've tried to clean the dirt off when I can," said Vicki Forquer. "Some are cleaner than others. I've found somebody's driver's license."
Forquer is in charge of the collection, curated from Facebook posts.
"I created a Facebook page to reunite people with their items that we've been finding in our yards," she said.
Photos, stuffed animals, and even a wedding veil, once lost, have since been found.
"The items that have been found in the aftermath of the tornado," Forquer said.
"I remember my daughter-in-law praying out loud, and remember my son saying it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. We're going to be fine," said Lisa Gerth.
Gerth survived with her family and friends by sheltering in the basement. What's left of the home is a heap of debris.
"It was a total loss. A total loss," she said. "I had tubs and tubs of pictures up in my attic, and my attic was totally gone."
It was an overwhelming loss until photos were found.
"So this belongs to Lisa Gerth. We've been finding pictures of her family," Forquer said.
Gerth gets notified every time a neighbor tags her on Facebook.
"I just get on every now and then and identify a picture that might be mine, and they bring it to the library," she said.
"She'll say, 'that one's mine,' and I'm well, you know it's going in the folder," Forquer said.
"Yeah, that's just amazing that she took the initiative to do that," Gerth said.
Leave it to a library to handle a collection on loan, but ready to return anytime.
"torn, but all the pieces are still there," Forquer said.
"A little crazy right now, but yeah, I'll definitely be going to get them," Gerth said.