Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
EMA official reports seven tornado tracks in Iroquois County, outlines EOP rewrite and fair-specific alert plan
Summary
An EMA official told the county board that seven tornado tracks were confirmed locally after June storms and described a state-driven rewrite of the county Emergency Operations Plan, a backdated EMP grant application for reimbursement, and a geofenced QR‑code warning plan for the county fair.
An agency official who presented the Emergency Management Agency report told the Iroquois County Board that seven tornado tracks were confirmed here after severe weather in June and that Illinois has recorded 178 confirmed tornadoes so far this year.
The official said the county has been waiting for an EMP grant that would cover roughly half of office salary and other departmental expenses; the grant window has opened and, if approved and signed, would be backdated to Oct. 1 and run through Sept. 30 of the next fiscal year to permit reimbursement for eligible costs once the county is removed from the state no‑pay list. "They finally opened that window," the agency official said. "As soon as I complete the grant application and get it submitted, as long once it's approved and signed, I'll be able to backdate the...information for reimbursement." The official cautioned that reimbursements cannot be processed while the county remains on the no‑pay list.
The presenter described a multi‑year rewrite of the county Emergency Operations Plan to align with new Illinois guidelines issued in March; the document is expected to be county‑specific and substantially longer than past editions. "The new EOPs, when I get them complete, will be county specific," the presenter said, noting the effort will replace a prior, more generic plan submitted in 2021.
For public events, the EMA official outlined a fair‑specific plan using a geofenced QR code distributed at the fairgrounds to register attendees for emergency text warnings during fair dates only. The official said the QR code will remain the same year to year and will be activated only during fair times so nonresidents attending the fair can receive targeted warnings. The agency official also announced an upcoming spotters class and invited community members to join the Skywarn storm‑spotting group.
The board acknowledged the report and had no immediate requests for additional action; members asked that the EMA keep the board informed about the grant timeline and any reimbursements when the no‑pay list issue is resolved.
