Three
more counties declared disaster areas
Send a link to a friend
[June 23, 2008]
SPRINGFIELD -- On Sunday, Gov.
Rod R. Blagojevich added Monroe, Randolph and Whiteside counties to
a state disaster declaration that will help those areas respond to
and recover from flooding along the Mississippi River. To date, 24
Illinois counties in the western, southeastern and northern parts of
the state have been declared state disaster areas due to flooding
and severe storms.
|
"As the floodwaters move downstream, we need to make sure
communities have the help they need to keep homes and critical
infrastructure safe," Blagojevich said. "I remain committed to
helping flood-impacted areas along the Mississippi River and in
other parts of the state with both their flood fight and recovery
once the waters recede."
The governor's disaster declaration will allow the state to
expedite assistance needed to help Whiteside County recover from
recent flooding and Monroe and Randolph counties prepare for
floodwaters expected soon. The state has personnel and assets that
can be mobilized to help local government officials with disaster
response and recovery, including such things as sandbags, National
Guard troops and inmate crews to assist with filling sandbags, boats
for evacuations and security patrols, road barricades, pumps,
trucks, and a variety of heavy equipment.
In addition to Monroe, Randolph and Whiteside counties, the
governor has also declared the following counties as state disaster
areas: Adams, Calhoun, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas,
Edgar, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, Jasper, Jersey, Lake, Lawrence,
Madison, Mercer, Pike, Rock Island, St. Clair and Winnebago.
[to top of second column]
|
The state's support for the flood fight along the Mississippi River
continued throughout the weekend, with nearly 470 Illinois Army and
Air National Guard troops assisting with sandbagging, levee patrols
and other activities on Sunday. In addition, nearly 50 inmates from
the Illinois Department of Corrections assisted with sandbagging
efforts on Sunday in western Illinois. The State Emergency
Operations Center in Springfield continues to be manned around the
clock to ensure state assistance can be quickly deployed in response
to requests from local officials, and two state Unified Area
Commands are operating in Quincy and Alton to coordinate field
operations.
To date, the state has deployed more than 5.5 million sandbags to
help bolster levees and protect critical infrastructure along the
Mississippi River.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
|