Enan Chediak Photography - Shelter in time of storm

Beshears family weathers tornado in Goreville

Enan Chediak

The bridge that once stood over the Beshears’ pond now lay upside down in the water. The gazebo leaned like it was about to fall over and the chimney that was once a part of the two-story cabin lay on the ground in shambles in a heap of debris.

Cindy and Ronnie Beshears pose for a portrait in front of their storm-damaged property April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois. The Beshears' property was hit during the tornado the night before, but they and some family from Paducah stayed in their storm shelter underneath their back porch to stay safe.

The night before, the tornado sirens blared in the distance over the Goreville-Buncombe area, and residents sought shelter. Places across southern Illinois and surrounding states saw damages during the storm.

The National Weather Service survey said that an EF-2 tornado passed through the area on April 2 causing “severe and extensive damage to hundreds of pine trees along its path.” The tornado also caused damage to some structures in the area. According to the survey, “One home suffered the loss of its roof, and a few outer buildings were destroyed.”

The ruins of a barn and trees lay in a field, damages done in a tornado the night before April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois.

A fallen tree lays across the roof of one of the Cedar Rock Cabins where the chimney once stood, knocked down during the tornado the night before April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois.

In Goreville, the Cedar Rock Cabins were affected. Fallen trees damaged their cabins and other parts of their property.

Cindy Beshears said that her deceased ex-husband built the storm shelter with a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a 5-gallon bucket, cinder blocks and rebar, where her family took shelter under their back porch during the storm.

Cindy said that her ex-husband saved their lives that night and that God had his arms wrapped around them.

Cindy Beshears looks out the window of her back porch at the storm damage in her backyard April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois.

Light spills through the entrance of the storm shelter underneath the Beshears' back porch where their family took shelter during the tornado the night before April 3, 2025 in Goreville, Illinois.

Much of the damage on the property happened to the Toler Cabin, the Beshears’ biggest cabins.

Blake Stowers from the Stowers Tree Service volunteered to remove some of the fallen trees and storm damage from the Beshears’ property before the anticipated rain on Thursday afternoon.

The lift, steadied on plywood because of the soft, muddy soil, hoisted the workers as they used chainsaws, pulleys, ropes and other tools to clear the fallen tree from the cabin’s roof. A skid steer was used to move heavy debris out of the way.

Just down the road from Goreville, the city of Vienna experienced extensive flooding after the continued raining. The rain was still falling on Saturday April 5, and the flooding filled the parking lot and street on Locust Street, where street signs block cars from entering the high waters.

The National Weather Service in Paducah reported between 5 to 9 inches of rain had fallen between Wednesday and Sunday.