IDOC & IDOT Join Forces with IEMA to Help Clean Up after Devastating Tornadoes

CHICAGO - On the night of June 5th tornadoes ripped through several towns in Illinois leaving devastation in their wake.  Many homes were lost and sadly some lost their lives to these killer storms.  The damage and debris trail is vast and the clean-up seemingly insurmountable.  That's where Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Department of Corrections, and the Illinois Department of Transportation are stepping in to make the clean up a little easier on local officials and the citizens hit by this disaster.

IDOC Prison Work Crews were called in by IEMA on the morning of June 6th and have been coming from Dwight, Sheridan, Pontiac and Stateville Correctional Centers.  According to IDOC Lt. John Eilers, "Our crews are requested in Dwight, Magnolia, and Streator where they have been hit very hard by storms.  We provide the man power and IDOT provides the trucks, together we haul the debris to dump sites.  Our crews will work for hours helping in the clean-up alongside IDOT and IEMA".  IEMA is in the preliminary stages of their damage assessment.  As a result, additional crews may be requested later in the week.

IDOC operates 27 prisons throughout Illinois in addition to work camps, boot camps and adult transition centers.  The agency is committed to operating a safe and secure prison system as well as enhancing prison-based treatment, prevention programs and the successful reentry of inmates into society.

The primary responsibility of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is to better prepare the State of Illinois for natural, manmade or technological disasters, hazards, or acts of terrorism. Our goal is a "better prepared state."  IEMA coordinates the State's disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery programs and activities, functions as the State Emergency Response Commission, and maintains a 24-hour Communication Center and State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC).

The Illinois Department of Transportation provides safe, cost-effective transportation for Illinois in ways that enhance quality of life, promote economic prosperity, and demonstrate respect for our environment.