Officials representing McLean County, Bloomington and Normal have issued a declaration of emergency related to the severe weather Friday night.
"The declaration that we've all signed, I believe, is something that eventually is going to end up possibly at the state level," Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said during a Saturday afternoon news conference.
Brady said he's talked with the governor's office after the storms.
"They have pledged to help and support from state agencies in any way that they possibly can," said Brady.
An emergency declaration can make communities eligible for broader assistance. Normal Mayor Chris Koos said to qualify for that aid, it's important that there is a full reckoning of the storm's impact.
"Please document the damage you have, regardless of if you think it's insignificant or not, so that we can collect that data for disaster response," said Koos.
Bloomington and Normal both plan to put QR codes on their web sites to help guide people in filing damage information. The mayors urged people who cannot access information that way to call non-emergency numbers for help in documentation.
“If there is widespread damage to a specific amount, it does create eligibility for different levels of either low-interest loans or funding from different levels of government to assist in the recovery of the community,” said County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston.
Community leaders said “the system worked” by implementing an all-hands effort during Friday’s storms.
"We have activated our emergency operations center to coordinate the community's response to the damage that's been felt across McLean County. First and foremost, we are grateful that we have no reports of fatalities or injuries at this time," said Johnston.
Utility crews continue working to restore power to all McLean County residents, while businesses and homeowners have begun cleaning up damage to their properties.
Leaders urged caution and collaboration.
“The most significant impacts we have seen were areas that experienced extreme winds with some unconfirmed readings of up to 105 mph,” said Johnston.
Power outages
She said about 3,400 Ameren and Corn Belt customers who lost power Friday night were still waiting for their power to be restored. At its height, the storm cut electricity to more than 24,000 households.
“Ameren has indicated that their crews will be working the remainder of today and throughout tonight, with anticipation that they will have power restored by noon tomorrow,” said Johnston.
Corn Belt recruited help from two additional energy co-ops and had just 300 customers without power by Saturday afternoon.
High temperatures only rose into the mid-50s on Saturday, 30 degrees cooler than the day before, and are expected to potentially dip near freezing Saturday night.
“If you do plan to use a generator, please use them outside in a well-ventilated area away from windows and doors to prevent carbon monoxide exposure,” said Johnston.
Rivian
A building at the Rivian electric vehicle plant in Normal was one of the structures damaged in the high winds and possible tornadoes that came through the area. Rivian is preparing to launch its new R2 vehicle.
“There was significant damage, and it was to the R2 facility. We have not heard from Rivian yet ... but it appears to be significant to the structure. I wouldn't say catastrophic,” said Koos. “I'm sure it will impact their day-to-day operations. They'll have some repair work to do.”
Joint response
All government leaders praised emergency workers for their effectiveness in dealing with the emergency.
"We are incredibly proud of our first responders, their level of training, their level of dedication, their ability to respond immediately to situations and tragedies like this," said Koos.
Brady said a joint effort at every level of government is what people expect, deserve — and Saturday night — what they received.
“From gas leaks at a hotel last evening when people were out and the fire department was there, to an individual who had to be taken to the hospital as a tree was into their home because they had no power for the oxygen emergency tank, the fire department made that transfer to the hospital,” he said.
Preparing for next time
Brady commended the county Emergency Management Agency for sounding the sirens in a timely way, just ahead of the storm’s arrival.
“People that I've met with and seen throughout their neighborhoods in Bloomington said, because of that, we were in our basement and we were safe, and so thank you,” said Brady.
EMA Director Cathy Beck urged residents to be prepared and to have family plans, communication plans, and multiple ways to receive alerts.
“You can't always count on the sirens. Yes, we sound them, but if it's a pop-up storm, they happen so fast," she said. "It takes seconds to sound them, and tornadoes are faster than seconds. So, go early to your safe spot. If you're living a mobile home, you need to have a backup plan. The mobile home parks here do not have storm shelters, so move early to your safe spot.”
She urged people to use reliable sources for storm information and not rely on Facebook. EMA uses National Weather Service data.
