Wait/Winters Plan Disaster Flyover; Plan to Fight for IEMA Funding for Rebuilding After the Flooding

Winnebago County, IL- State Representative Dave Winters (R-Shirland) and State Representative Ron Wait (R-Belvidere) are looking for assistance to residents in the Winnebago County disaster areas in the coming days. Winnebago County was declared a disaster area Monday afternoon by Governor Rod Blagojevich to help mitigate an already serious situation and the legislators are planning on touring the flooded areas in the upcoming days.

“The City of Machesney Park obtained a machine to help with the filling of sandbags.  IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) needs to move to help these citizens to rebuild,” Rep. Winters said.  “We need to start pushing IEMA now to receive assistance: physical, financial or otherwise,” Winters reiterated.

400 Illinois National Guard were assigned to fill about 500,000 sandbags along levees on a 15-mile stretch of the Mississippi River near Quincy, IL.  Yesterday an additional 90,000 sand bags were delivered to Machesney Park in Winnebago County according to IEMA.

“I was happy to hear that the National Guard has the capabilities to assist these communities. What I am worried about is the follow through by the state,” said Rep. Wait.  “We need to make sure that IEMA gets all the information that it needs to start releasing assistance to areas hit like Winnebago County,” Wait continued.

With record snowfall in Northern Illinois, along with an extremely wet spring, flooding has plagued northern Illinois rivers plus much of Iowa and the areas around Quincy, IL along the Mississippi.  With the water levels on the Rock River continually on the rise, about 500 Machesney Park residents were evacuated and Winnebago County was named a disaster area by Governor Blagojevich as of mid-afternoon Monday.

IEMA will be holding a briefing at 10:00 a.m. that Representative Winters and Wait will be participating in. Directly following the briefing, the two Representatives will be taking an aerial view of the flooding to get a better idea of how much rebuilding will be needed and what extent the State of Illinois will need to assist in rebuilding.