Gov. Pritzker visits flooded communities

Posted on June 5, 2019
Gov. Pritzker and members of his cabinet spent Tuesday afternoon visiting the flooded communities of Winchester – in western Illinois – and Grafton – in southern Illinois. (Photo Pixabay)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – One piece of advice Gov. JB Pritzker received before taking office: be prepared for a disaster.

Pritzker spent Tuesday afternoon in the flooded communities of Winchester and Grafton.

“There is a big effort here to fight this flood,” the governor said in Winchester, in western Illinois, “to keep the people safe who live in this area, and to protect our critical infrastructure. And, of course, this is a flood fight that is not going to be over anytime soon.”

Alicia Tate-Nadeau, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, says preparation was key:

“This is a two-pronged fight, all along the Mississippi and all along the Illinois,” she said. “Twelve weeks ago is when we really began to see the effects. We have seen earthen levees which are absolutely saturated. About six months ago, we walked around to everybody and said, tell us what your needs are. We have pre-positioned resources in those location in anticipation of people’s needs.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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