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Streator approves emergency declaration, details tornado recovery progress · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Streeter approves emergency declaration details tornado recovery progress. Written by
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  Bill Frescos. This article is being read by an automated
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  voice brought to you by Everlett. The Street ar Citi
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  Council approved an emergency declaration Wednesday night, as officials detailed
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  the growing scope of damage and ongoing recovery efforts following
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  last week's e F three tornado. The emergency declaration allows
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  the city to continue coordinating recovery efforts and may help
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  support future disaster assistance and reimbursement efforts. Before the declaration
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  was unanimously approved, Streeter Fire Chief Brian Park and city
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  Manager Yates MacLaughlin gave a presentation to council outlining what
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  aspects of recovery have been successful, along with what comes next.
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  Park said the city received a tornado warning around five
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  to twenty pm June eleventh, and activated outdoor warning sirens
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  roughly ten to twelve times, giving residents about thirty minutes
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  to find shelter before the tornado entered the south side
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  side of the city around five fifty two pm. The
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  tornado then moved through Twelfth Street, Saratoga and Sunbury areas
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  before continuing north and east toward Airport Road. Park said
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  first responders quickly launched rescue and search operations after nine
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  hundred and eleven calls poured in regarding trapped residents and injuries.
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  Street Or Fire and Police, along with multiple other local
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  departments and agencies, were among those who assisted the efforts.
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  Park said four people were initially taken to the hospital
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  by ambulance from tornado related injuries, while three additional residents
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  took themselves to the hospital. Fortunately, all seven injuries were minor.
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  Both leaders emphasized debris removal and utility restoration remain as
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  top priorities, as McLaughlin said roughly eighty percent of debris
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  already cleared from impacted areas. Kniek Or Gas reported thirty
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  nine homes currently have services cut off, with ten already restored,
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  while Park noted crews are still waiting on formal cutoff
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  letters required to process demolition permits for severely damaged structures.
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  The gas leaks very quickly, I think all within the evening,
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  Park said, adding that shut offs were necessary in the
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  hardest hit areas before debris was cleared. Kahmed reported eighty
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  four total customers currently without service locally while three thousand
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  customers have already been restored. McLaughlin also noted the process
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  has been a national effort, as crews were brought in
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  from as far as Colorado. After the presentation, council made
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  sure to thank everyone involved with a quick emergency response,
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  collectively saying that each department acted urgently and how fortunate
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  it was that there were no deaths or serious injuries.
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  I was here Thursday night at the Emergency Operations Center
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  and got to observe, and I was really impressed with
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  our management team, Councilsman David Reid said. I left here
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  that night convinced we had the right people in the
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  right place at the right time. Notably, most of the
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  city's leadership has just recently stepped into their respective roles,
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  as both McLaughlin and Park started the job less than
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  a month ago. Also, Streeter's fire department leadership stepped into
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  new roles just days before the incident, as Ed Levy
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  and Ian Rodgers were officially promoted on Monday, June eighth.
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  Looking ahead, the city will continue using City Hall as
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  its emergency operations center as officials work to help those
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  affected get back on their feet. This is not something
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  that's going to be resolved in a week or two.
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  Park said, this is going to take months and months
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  to get everybody settled and back where they need to be.