by Lee Unger for The Quill
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Lee Unger for The Quill
Thursday, June 29, 2023, will be remembered for a long time after all the limbs and debris has been cleaned up. Many are tired from the clean-up and some still do not have electrical power. There were some moderate roof damage and out building blown away, but the most important thing is that there was no loss of life. I only heard of one man getting a bump on the head by a falling limb.
Stacey Pence said, “I was actually in Michigan when the storm hit. I came home on Sunday. Driving into town was heartbreaking. My house had a lot of trees down and I was very anxious and wanted to cry. Then I realized it can all be cleaned up. God was definitely looking over our town. I’m proud to be from La Harpe.”
Dan Carpenter said: “We don’t like loosing our trees, but the trees took the brunt of the storm and probably prevented more damage to our homes.”
Dan said that early on there was a water shortage. Due to a pump being out of operation which has been waiting on repairs for several months, he eventually had to manually operate one of the pumps to get the water supply back up. There was only one small fire which was easily put out with help from Blandinsville. The damage was contained to the dock area at the old nursing home.
If you read the “Question of the Week” you might wonder about Wayne Humphry saying that “He was having a lot of fun.” Wayne is a very positive person and takes delight in helping anyone he can. He understands the problems the storm presented, but has always been a person to keep positive no matter what happens!
One bright spot is that it brought the community together! Liz Cool McCarter and Monica Mueller Crim did a great job of loving people and coordinating meals, snack and water for those affected by the storm. The La Harpe Christian Church provided the building but had help from the Union Church, Stronghurst Churches, Terre Haute Church, a Lutheran Church in Carthage and Burnside Christian Church. The Carthage Memorial Hospital and Hy-Vee in Macomb donated supplies and our local La Harpe businesses have been great!
We’re looking on the bright side!
