Second disaster proclamation issued
A second state disaster proclamation was issued Friday, May 31, by Gov. JB Pritzker for 34 counties along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
Union County is included in the declaration. Union County is bordered by the Mississippi River on the west.
Part of the county also is bordered by the Big Muddy River. The Big Muddy also is flooding.
Additionally on Friday, the governor dispatched the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s, IEMA, Unified Area Command vehicle to Winchester in Scott County, where it will establish a state Unified Area Command, or UAC.
The UAC will be able to provide coordinated assistance with the response efforts in the entire region.
This second proclamation follows the governor activating the Illinois National Guard to engage in levee reinforcement and monitoring.
“The State of Illinois will continue to respond and support communities hard hit by historic flooding,” Pritzker said. “Hundreds of state and local roads and bridges have been closed, both residential and commercial properties have been impacted, and local resources have become exhausted. I have directed agency heads in my administration to provide any resources needed to these communities to protect the lives of Illinois residents.”
Both the Mississippi and Illinois rivers reached major flood stage in March and have remained at those levels continuously.
Levees along both rivers are saturated and could be breached or overtopped at any minute.
And with more rain in the forecast, flood-fighting efforts will continue to be critical to protect the health, life and safety of Illinoisans, state officials said.
The emergency proclamation will ensure continued state support, including 200 Illinois National Guard soldiers, to help communities battling floods.
The disaster proclamation issued on Friday covers the following counties: Adams, Alexander, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Jackson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Madison, Marshall, Mason, Mercer, Monroe, Morgan, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Randolph, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, St. Clair, Tazewell, Union, Whiteside and Woodford.
All sites from New Boston downstream to Cape Girardeau along the Mississippi River are expected to reach their top five all-time crests.
On May 2, the Mississippi River reached an all-time record crest at Rock Island of 22.7 feet, surpassing the historic flood levels of the Great Flood of 1993.
The Illinois River at Valley City is expected to top the current record flood level set in 1943.
“We strongly urge residents in flooded areas to get out now,” said Illinois Emergency Management Agency acting-director, Alicia Tate-Nadeau.
“While your home may not be flooded, the road to get to the hospital may be washed out, or the lines providing power may be down for days.
“Pack a bag with essentials such as clothes, medicine and other necessary items. Be sure to consider all members of your family, including your pets, and to follow instructions from your local emergency management officials.”
The governor issued the first state disaster proclamation on May 3 to ensure state support to communities that are battling floods caused by weeks of elevated river levels and heavy rains.