. >> diane easterbrook reports from illinois. >> over here in washington, illinois, it was a clean-up effort underway. the town imposed a curfew at 6 o'clock this evening. they are trying to keep people the streets. there was a lot of debris. we understand there's 100,000 people in the area without power. now, the tornado came through washington at noon. it devastated the area. we talked through a storm chesser. he's been chasing storms for 18 years, benjamin rock. this is one of the worse he's seen, here is what he said. >> the devastation, it looks like a bomb went through, there's nothing on the foundation of some. a lady we helped said her daughter has a friend that was sucked out of the house by the tornado itself. >> one of the issues being faced here is cell service is out. a lot of the cell towers are knocked down. a lot of people who have friends and family in this area have trouble getting a hold of those people. power, cell service will be restored. power will be restored to part of the area and the clean-up can continue. >> diane easterbrook reporting from washington, illi

dia diane easterbrook is on the way. how close are you, and what are you hearing about the damage in washington? >> we are probably 60 or 70 miles out. i can tell you at this point we have not been able to confirm fatalities in the area. we talked to the major trauma center in central illinois, ohss st. francis medical center in peoria. they have treated patients, people with head injuries, broken bones, cuts. 13 were treated and released this afternoon. the red cross is setting up four shelters for displaced residents. i have been talking all afternoon. i have been talking all aftermoon with friends and family reporting damage. homes turned to rubble. trees down. power out. snarled traffic. people are told to stay away from the areas. there's a lot of people going in and gauking. they were will underway to clear up the debris. looking at the ex-tensive taj, it will probably be several weeks before all of that debris is cleared. this is a part of the state, a part of the country that is no stranger to tornados, they come