Severe Weather

The City of Bloomington will launch a new emergency notification system next week to communicate with residents about severe weather, public safety issues and other urgent information.

The proclamation must be approved at the federal level before McLean County will have an opportunity to receive aid.

The National Weather Service confirmed 172 tornadoes have struck the state this severe weather season. That's an all-time state record, and the most for any state in the U.S. this year.

The National Weather Service is preparing for the possibility of two rounds of severe storms on Wednesday, less than one week after nine confirmed tornadoes tore through the region.

The National Weather Service has preliminary confirmation of nine tornadoes in Central Illinois on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

Country Financial has already seen 1,000 property and auto claims from this week's back-to-back severe wind and tornado events. They expect more in the coming days as residents sort through their homes.

After the severe damage to Springfield's Animal Protective League and other shelters in Southern Illinois, the Humane Society of Central Illinois, Clover's Cat Club and Pet Central Helps in Normal are stepping up. Together, they are taking care of dozens of cats and dogs temporarily.

The federal Small Business Administration said McLean County failed to qualify 25 homes for low-interest loans for home repair, finding not enough hit the agency's threshold for assistance.

So far, State Farm and Country Financial have fielded a combined 656 insurance claims in McLean County from the April 17 storms and tornadoes.

With an additional $1.6 million Sorensen plans to pursue through the appropriations process this year, federal grants would cover well over half of a major upgrade to Uptown's overwhelmed sewer system.