McLean County Emergency Management Agency

As spring storm season kicks in for Central Illinois, McLean County agencies have a new tool in place to notify residents of emergencies via their cell phones.

With Spring quickly approaching, so does storm season for Illinois. The McLean County Emergency Management Agency works across the county in and out of the season to prepare and educate residents on severe weather.

The McLean County Emergency Management Agency [EMA] said the chance of field fires is reduced as most farm fields have been harvested and some are tilled.

Bloomington and Normal have both returned to their former policies concerning recreational fires.

Emergency managers in McLean County have implemented a county-wide ban on open burning until Friday, Sept. 26 because of an increased fire risk.

The eastern McLean County communities of Colfax, Lexington, and Anchor were all hit pretty hard according to McLean County Emergency Management Agency Director Cathy Beck. No injuries were reported.

The McLean County Board on Thursday rejected a proposal calling for the board to oppose tax-supported services for certain groups of immigrants. The 13-to-7 vote followed nearly two hours of public comments before a standing room-only crowd.

The state of Illinois has set up a new intake center in Chicago for migrants brought to the state. McLean County Emergency Management Agency Director Cathy Beck says the county would arrange transportation for migrants to travel to the intake center if buses arrive in McLean County.

The McLean County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is looking for volunteers to join the Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) Team.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved less than half of the loan applications it has received for emergency relief following late June flooding in McLean County. The SBA has awarded $800,400 in long-term, low-interest loans to nearly two dozen recipients.