CHAMPAIGN — Twenty-two people were injured, 66 homes had major damage and 34 homes were severely damaged or destroyed.
But for some Champaign TV viewers, the hardest part of Saturday's Taylorville tornado was not being able to watch Alabama come back against Georgia for the SEC championship.
"We had hundreds of complaints," said Gary Hackler, general manager of local CBS affiliate WCIA. "There were lots of upset people. We understand that, but we hope they understand our position."
When a storm rolls through, Hackler said the first consideration is public safety.
"Whenever there's a direct threat to any place in our viewing area, we want to give them advance warning and up-to-the-minute facts as we find them out in the field covering events," he said.