Tornadoes and severe weather slam the midwest

Residents search through a neighborhood in Washington, Ill., after a tornado and strong thunderstorms swept through the north part of the town destroying several homes on Nov. 17. (Ron Johnson/Associated Press/Peoria Journal Star)

Pat Whitaker, 82, sits under a blanket in her nightgown outside her home waiting for help to come in Gifford, Ill. on Nov. 17. (Robin Scholz/Associated Press/News-Gazette)

Residents embrace after they discovered their home was destroyed when a tornado and thunderstorms tore through a portion of Washington, Ill., on Nov.17. (Ron Johnson/Associated Press/Peoria Journal Star)

A boy picks through belongings in the destruction caused by a tornado that touched down in Washington, Ill., on Nov. 18. A fast-moving storm system triggered multiple tornadoes on Nov. 16 that killed at least six people and flattened large parts of a town in Illinois as it tore across the Midwest, authorities said. (Jim Young/Reuters)

East Peoria resident Billy Vestal evacuates with his daughter, Lillian Vestal, 3, after a tornado damaged the area near Chestnut Road in East Peoria, Il., on Nov. 17. (Justin Wan/Associated Press/Journal Star)

Firefighters look over damage to trailers at Summit Village east of Marion, Ind., after storms blew through Marion and Grant County on Nov. 17. (Jeff Morehead/Associated Press/Chronicle-Tribune) 

Fire Station No. 6 in Kokomo was greatly damaged by the tornado on Nov. 17. (Kelly Lafferty/Associated Press/Kokomo Tribune) 

A tree was pulled out of the ground by the roots, collapsing onto a house after a tornado left a path of devastation through the north end of Pekin, Il., on Nov. 17. (Fred Zwicky/Associated Press/Journal Star)

Demolished homes and vehicles in the Devonshire Subdivision in Washington, Ill., on Nov. 17. (Steve Smedley/Associated Press/The Pantagraph) 

A mattress is wrapped around a stripped tree in Washington, Ill., on Nov. 17. Intense thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the Midwest, causing extensive damage in several central Illinois communities while sending people to their basements for shelter. (Steve Smedley/Associated Press/The Pantagraph) 

A neighborhood in the Devonshire subdivision of Washington, Ill., is left in ruins after a tornado tore through the northern part of the town on Nov. 17. (Ron Johnson/Associated Press/Peoria Journal Star)