SALEM, Ill. — The community of Salem, Illinois is still cleaning up, days after a tornado hit the area.
About 40 homes and businesses were damaged and eight are now a total loss after Friday night's storm.
Many people, like Buddy Miller, told 5 On Your Side they came face to face with the tornado and they are lucky to be alive.
"I thought the door was going to give way. If the door would've gave way, I wouldn't have made it. The door held and God's got other plans for me. This wall held, this corner held, and that door held and that’s what saved my life. I got very lucky," he said.
A lunch special sign and the deals of the day are the only things recognizable at Miller's business now.
"Right when the storm started coming to here, I grabbed this door, I pulled it like this, and I stood here just like this and rode it out, right here," he said.
Now, the barbeque shop Miller worked so hard to build is filled with glass and wood, but that's not what he's worried about.
"I think disasters like this really remind us of who we really are and where our hearts really lie. Meaningless things and politics and all this other stuff don’t really mean nothing when something like this happens," he said.
"What means the most is a hug and a handshake and somebody calling you and asking you if you need something. People are there for you, that’s the important things," he said. "This community has really rallied around this area. I’m very proud of Salem."
Miller was one of the dozens impacted by the tornado in Salem. All around the city businesses and homes are destroyed or damaged.
Salem Mayor, Nicolas Farley, said he's grateful everyone's alive.
"There were a lot of people down there that went through some really scary things, and I hope that never happens again. I can’t even imagine what some of those folks are going through as they put their lives together, but when you look at the grand scheme of things, everybody is alive, nobody was hurt," he said.
Farley said he's been in awe of how his city has stepped up to help one another out.
"When I looked around, I mean, directly in the aftermath of the event and I saw the coordination and the teams and the volunteers and the police officers showing up before they were called in," he said.
"The fire department taking charge and really getting through things. I’m in awe of all the city workers and the volunteers, the sheriff’s office. Everybody has just said, 'Let’s go,' and so they’ve had the right mindset and they’ve really worked together," he said.
City crews from outside of Salem have also come to help out, according to Farley.
"You’re seeing a lot of people that don’t usually work together, working together in extraordinary ways and that’s the takeaway that I’m impressed with from everybody. We're coming together to rebuild ourselves and we're going to do it better and this is just a phenomenal team," he said.
As for Miller, he's not done serving his community just yet.
"We all are overwhelmed by our better angels when things like this happen. I’m very grateful and I’m going to do my best to get a food truck and keep my community going in BBQ and all the home cooking I can supply them. They’ve been very good to me, I owe them and I’m going to see that I somehow pay them back," he said.
As of Monday afternoon, the American Red Cross is in Salem, handing out supplies and helping people rebuild.
The city is hosting a meeting on Tuesday, April 4 at the Marion County Fairgrounds, where those who need help can get matched up with volunteers.
Salem is under curfew through Monday, April 3 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. for the affected areas.
That includes East Blair Street and Lake Street between Broadway and Marion. In addition, Lake Street to Wells Street between College and Broadway are under curfew.
According to Farley, he is asking the city council to extend the curfew one more week at Monday night's meeting.
You can donate to Miller's GoFundMe here.
If you want to help any of the other victims, the Salem Area Foundation created a fund here to donate.
