Agencies make changes to severe weather response after 2023 derecho

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — When a derecho hit Sangamon County last year, dozens of buildings were destroyed and hundreds were without power for over a week. Now, emergency management organizations are working to change the way communities respond to these widespread weather issues.

Officials with the Sangamon County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said because the derecho devastated such a large area, it was hard for them to find the resources the community needed.

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"The derecho was widespread across multiple counties, so the the impact there was the folks that you would normally call on for mutual aid to come help were affected as well," said Bill Lee, the Director of Sangamon County OEM. "So that mutual aid had to come from further out and everybody was requesting the same mutual aid across the state. So it was a it was a tug of war for resources and the resources were thin."

Now, state officials are encouraging individuals and communities to build up their resilience against severe weather so they can help themselves, instead of relying on outside sources. For individuals, this means making sure you have fully stocked emergency kits. It's recommended you have:

Enough food and water for entire family for 72 hours
Blankets and extra set of clothes
Spare car keys
Flashlight and batteries
First aid kit and required medications
Cash
Weather Radio
Other items, dependent on situation, listed here

Michael McPeek, the Chief of Operations at Illinois Emergency Management Agency, says he's been having conversations with communities to make sure help is available more quickly when weather hits.

"We've been working with communities throughout the state since then to continue to improve resiliency at the local level, and identify the things that made that situation so severe," said McPeek. "Many communities have taken those proactive steps to improve those plans and processes since then."

Both McPeek and Lee say it's important to stay informed and try to prevent as much destruction as possible. This includes keeping up on home repairs and managing trees near your home.