SIU architects to help Harrisburg tornado victims redesign homes

HARRISBURG, IL (KFVS) -

Saturday kicks off a week-long effort to help get displaced storm victims started on repairing or replacing their homes.

A team of students and faculty from the SIU School of Architecture will be at the Harrisburg Public Library from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 10, and every day through March 17.

They'll be offering free residential design services to families whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

The architects and architects-in-training will visit the home sites, take pictures and collect information about the location. Then they'll evaluate what remains of the home. Based on interviews with the families, they'll create working drawings to repair or replace the homes.

"They'll design new homes at no cost to homeowners to walk them through the entire process of putting their homes back together," said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg. "Those are things you don't think about on day one, but you definitely think about it going forward because that's a huge need. There are hundreds of homes that have been damaged and if you've got people who are experts willing to come in and help us, we're going to greet them with our arms wide open."

SIU organizers say the goal is to offer a valuable service to families at this early stage, to help them plan and begin preparing for the future as well as offer students valuable hands-on learning experience.

Homeowners are encouraged to bring in photographs of their home before the tornado to help with the design.

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SIU architects to help Harrisburg tornado victims redesign homes