SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Thirteen additional counties now fall under the Disaster Proclamation based on the severe weather, tornadoes, and derecho that affected communities across the state from June 29 through July 2.
Governor JB Pritzker expanded the original Disaster Proclamation to now include Calhoun, Christian, Clark, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Logan, Macon, Monroe, Moultrie, Pike, Scott, and Vermillion Counties.
Originally the proclamation only covered Coles, Cook, Edgar, Hancock, McDonough, Morgan, Sangamon, and Washington Counties.
State officials have been closely coordinating with local and county agencies and providing resources to impacted communities.
This new proclamation allows additional local entities increased access to state resources and emergency personnel who can assist in response and recovery efforts.
"My administration stands with communities across the state in the work to recover from recent severe weather," said Governor JB Pritzker. "To continue to support those impacted, I have signed a broader disaster proclamation to mobilize every available resource, accelerating the recovery process and providing relief for our residents. I want to thank IEMA-OHS and local officials for their ongoing coordination."
Beginning June 29, several rounds of severe storms passed through Illinois producing heavy rainfall, flash flooding, hail, tornadoes, and straight-line winds.
Central Illinois experienced a derecho that brought damaging straight-line winds resulting in five confirmed tornadoes, along with wind gusts in excess of 100 miles per hour across multiple counties.
The tornados and straight-line winds resulted in large debris fields, affecting homeowners, businesses, utilities, and local governments. The storms also caused disruptions to transportation due to flash flooding and debris on the roadways.
On July 2nd, additional severe storms dropped eight inches of water in a short period of time in a historic rainfall total. This caused flash flooding in and around the Chicago area. The storms also downed numerous trees and caused widespread power outages in northern Illinois.
"County Emergency Management Agencies continue to share damage assessments with our Recovery Division from each of the affected communities," said Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “These damage reports allow us to verify and validate information which shows an increase in communities who were impacted by the severe weather on June 29th through July 2nd.”
Based on reports received by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS), local resources and capabilities in the communities hit by these storms have been exhausted, and State resources are needed to recover from the effects of these severe storms.
The Disaster Proclamation goes into effect immediately.
