| "Many
people are still struggling to cope with the
aftermath of this week's winter storm,"
Blagojevich said. "Today, I sent Illinois
National Guard troops to East St. Louis to
check on people in neighborhoods hit hard by
the storm to make sure they have what they
need to get by. Illinois National Guard
members will also check the status of
interstate highways from I-80 down to I-70 to
check for stranded motorists and make sure
they're safe for travel."
Working with the Illinois Emergency
Management Agency, the Illinois National Guard
is providing approximately 100 Army National
Guard soldiers in East St. Louis to assist the
city. The Illinois Army Guardsmen will conduct
house-to-house checks in East St. Louis
neighborhoods to distribute important
emergency information to households and
transport people to a warming shelter if
needed. The Illinois Guardsmen will also
gather information in the affected
neighborhoods regarding status of services,
blocked streets or intersections, trapped
vehicles, and other information that would be
helpful to police, fire and other city
emergency departments.
The Illinois National Guard is providing
additional soldiers and several aircraft to
assess highway corridor conditions along I-74
between 1-80 and I-57, along I-80 between I-74
and I-57, and along I-57 from I-80 south to
I-70. The Illinois citizen soldiers will
assess the number of disabled vehicles and
stranded motorists along the highways and at
rest areas so that the Illinois Emergency
Management Agency, Illinois State Police,
Illinois Department of Transportation and
other state emergency response agencies can
respond to people hardest hit by the storm.
"Even before the storms hit, Illinois
National Guard began actively working with
IEMA in order to assess potential impacts
across the state and began developing a
coordinated and coherent response to the
developing weather situation." said Maj.
Gen. Randal Thomas, adjutant general of the
Illinois National Guard. "We were also
able to leverage Illinois Army National Guard
soldiers already in a federal status
performing their monthly unit training to
provide emergency assistance to the people of
East St. Louis and to assess highway
conditions along key interstate corridors
around the state. The Illinois National Guard
has a 'no-fail' contract with the citizens of
Illinois. Our response in support of IEMA
reflects our dedication to the safety of the
people our great state."
As of Saturday afternoon, more than 222,000
homes remained without electricity, down from
more than 250,000 on Friday.
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top of second column]
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On Nov. 28, before the storm, the Illinois
Emergency Management Agency began preparing
for possible activation of the State Emergency
Operations Center by reaching out to state
agency liaisons and gathering pre-event
information on available assets and response
capabilities. The emergency center has been
activated since Thursday evening to monitor
the storm conditions and work with local
officials on any state assistance needed. The
center will remain activated as long as
necessary. To date the state has assisted in
several ways, including:
-
More
than 120 cots from the Illinois National
Guard and 600 meals were delivered by
staff from the Department of Central
Management Services to four shelters in
St. Clair County.
-
Using
an Illinois National Guard Black Hawk
helicopter, an Illinois Department of
Transportation truck, Illinois Department
of Natural Resources snowmobiles and an
Illinois State Police four-wheel drive
vehicle, 200 meals were delivered to
stranded travelers at a rest area along
I-80 near Princeton on Friday evening, and
another 200 were delivered to stranded
motorists at a rest area east of
Galesburg. In addition, Department of
Transportation Aeronautics provided
disaster intelligence to the State
Emergency Operations Center via a
department helicopter flying above the
rest stop.
-
The
Illinois National Guard will use equipment
and personnel to assist with moving a
small passenger jet at the Peoria Airport
after the jet broke down, blocking the
gate area.
-
To
date, more than 1,700 Department of
Transportation trucks have plowed more
than 275,000 miles along Illinois
interstates and highways.
-
More
than 325 people sought a warm place to
spend the night at shelters established by
the American Red Cross in nine
communities.
-
The
State Emergency Operations Center is
coordinating with local emergency
management officials on assistance needed
in their communities, including help with
removal of branches and trees downed by
ice, heavy snow and strong winds.
[News
release from the governor's office]
|
