Tornado Recovery Update: FEMA Statistics and SBA Loan Resources Revealed - Monday, April 13th, 2026

In this edition of the WVLI News Update with Rob West, we cover critical legal developments and provide an in-depth look at the recovery efforts following the recent EF3 tornado in the Kankakee County area.

The update begins with the latest court ruling regarding a former Paxton Buckley Loda teacher facing multiple charges. Following this, we transition to the ongoing disaster response, featuring verified data from FEMA and insights from Aroma Township Supervisor Gina DeYoung regarding local property damage.

Listeners will also find vital information concerning financial aid and recovery resources, including:

• Emergency response fund updates from United Way and the Community Foundation.
• The opening of Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan outreach centers in Northwest Indiana and Kankakee County.
• The strategic shift in how local officials are pursuing federal assistance to expedite the rebuilding process.

Additional reports in this episode include a local law enforcement update from Iroquois County, details on a major structure fire at a Kentland, Indiana landmark, and a look at the week's celestial events with Notable Night Sky News. Finally, stay tuned for a full recap of Chicago sports, covering the end of the Bulls season and the latest from the Cubs and White Sox.

For the full details on these stories and information on how to access local resources, listen to the complete episode.

Listen to more great shows on the WVLI Podcast Network:

This One Time in Kankakee  (Narrative Storytelling)

Kankakee Valley Community Happenings  (Businesses & Non-Profits)

The voices you trust, beyond the dial. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:42

A former Paxton Buckley Lota teacher who faces multiple charges will remain in custody. Paul Muser was ordered detained Thursday until his trial. Muser, charged with attempted criminal sexual assault and grooming, as well as indecent solicitation of a child. Charging documents say he invited a child to his home for sex in December. It's been a little over a month since an EF3 tornado ripped through the south side of Kankakee County. Aroma Township Supervisor Gina DeYoung has some of the numbers from FEMA's recent survey of the storm damage.

SPEAKER_03 1:12

The following numbers are verified and validated by FEMA. 296 were affected, 412 were minor, 207 were major, 37 were destroyed for a total of 952.

SPEAKER_02 1:32

DeYoung says those numbers are a combination of properties surveyed in Aroma Park, Kankakee, Bradley, and the limestone areas. DeYoung added that she believes there are actually more properties damaged than Wat FEMA has reported. United Way of Kankakee and Iroquois Counties and the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley shared an update on their emergency response fund in the wake of last month's storms. United Way Executive Director Mariah Vail.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

We provided a grant of$150,000 to enact three programs that are all being housed through KCCSI on our behalf. The first is short-term housing for people who are displaced, helping with some of those costs. The second being rent, mortgage, payment assistance. And then the third being auto repair, which is probably the one that most of us felt during this disaster.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

There's more information at myUnitedway.org forward slash disaster. Iroquois County Sheriff's Police reporting the arrest of a Gilman man after he was allegedly found to be in possession of a stolen car. Reports say deputies called to Gilman by someone who said their car had been taken without permission. That car later found and stopped in the 400 block of East Elm in Watseca. The driver, identified as 30-year-old Christopher R. Blair of Gilman, was arrested for being in possession of a stolen motor vehicle. It's been a little over a month since that EF3 tornado ripped through the village of Aroma Park and Aroma Township. Aroma Township supervisor, Gina DeYoung, says that the lot of cleanup has taken place, but there's still plenty that needs to be done.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

Everybody's still kind of in shock. Even though we're we're a month out. Everybody's still kind of like trying to get their bearings. So when I asked last night, it's like, you know, the group that are here, it's like, what do you guys need? What can we do? What can we tell county? You know, and it was just like, it was little things like, I still need help, you know, gathering stuff in my yard. I I need help with raking, I need help with this, you know, and I'm like, okay, that's what we're gonna need help with.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

DeYoung says United Way plans to have groups of volunteers in the Aroma Park area on the day of action, April 22nd. You can learn more and sign up at myUnitedway.org forward slash day of action. Small Business Administration now has disaster loan outreach centers opened in Northwest Indiana for those in need of financial assistance following last month's tornado. Jake Lamore has that story.

SPEAKER_04 3:59

According to the Newton County Emergency Management Agency, SBA has set up disaster loan outreach centers in Lake Village at the Newton County Public Library and in Wheatfield at the Town Hall. The Lake Village location is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 and Saturdays 9 to 1. The Wheatfield Center is open weekdays 9 to 6 and Saturdays 10 to 2. The last day to visit either location will be Saturday, April 25th. I'm Jake Clamore.

SPEAKER_02 4:29

Fire severely damaged the Good Table Family Restaurant in Kentland, Indiana over the weekend. In a Facebook post, Kentland Jefferson Township Fire Department says the fire started in the kitchen area of the restaurant while it was still open for business. Everyone able to get out of the building safely, the fire already coming through the roof when firefighters arrived. More than half the building, reportedly destroyed by the flames, caused the fires under investigation. Kankakee County officials have announced they plan to pursue assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration's disaster relief program following last month's tornado rather than wait for a declaration from FEMA. County Board Chairman Matt Alexander Hildebrand says it was a strategic decision.

SPEAKER_05 5:10

SBA disaster loans can be made available faster and provide more flexible, long-term support than traditional federal aid. These low-interest loans can help homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofits repair damage, replace belongings, and rebuild stronger.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

The U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan outreach centers are now open in Aroma Park, Kankakee, and Bradley. You can get more information on the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department's Facebook page. Let's take a look now at what's going on overhead this week with our Notable Night Sky News. Here's Madeline Shepley, astronomy professor and director of the Strickler Planetarium at Olivet.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

Welcome to your Notable Night Sky News, where we update you on things of note in space in the night sky. This morning, Mars and Neptune were in conjunction, meaning that they were the closest they can possibly get together as they get near each other in the sky. And you can catch them near each other for the rest of the mornings this week. Mars can be seen with the naked eye, but if you have a telescope or binoculars, you can see Neptune as well. Then Wednesday night would be a good time to catch the visual optical star pair, Mysar, and Alcor and Ursa Major. Both stars themselves are actually also multi-star systems themselves. This month, if you have a telescope in dark skies, you finally can also catch multiple different galaxies, particularly in the constellation of Virgo. This week, with the moon setting early in the night, it will be particularly advantageous for this kind of viewing. From Olivet Nazarene University, this is Madeline Shepley.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

In sports, Cubs beat the Pirates 7-6 on Sunday, Cubs at the Phillies tonight. The White Sox beat the Royals 6-5 on Sunday, earning a split of that four-game series. Sox are off tonight. They host the Royals tomorrow night. Cardinals lost to the Red Sox 9-3. The Cards host the Guardians tonight. Bulls ended their season with a 149-128 loss to the Dallas Mavericks last night. Bulls ended the season at 31-51. Chicago Fire FC beat Atlanta United on Saturday. They take on Detroit City FC in the U.S. Open Cup tomorrow. And Ty Gibbs won NASCAR's Food City 500 on Sunday. The Cubs series travels to Kansas Speedway for the Advent Health 400 next Sunday. That is a look at News and Sports here on this Monday. Have a good rest of your day. Be safe, everybody. I'm Rob West.