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Bethany Hubbard/MEDILL
Illinois braces for severe weather this weekend that could lead to flooding in southern parts of the state.
Severe weather springs state into action
by Bethany Hubbard
April 28, 2011
Related Links
Timeline of Illinois TornadoesNational Weather ServiceTips for tornado preparation and safety
1. Monitor the weather closely on high-risk days.
2. During a tornado, go into the basement, or a windowless room.
3. Cover your head with pillows, mattresses or cushions.
4. If in a car, do not park under a bridge or overpass.
5. Never try to outrun a tornado in a vehicle.
6. Do not attempt to move severely injured victims unless absolutely necessary.
All tips are courtesy of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
The State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield was activated at 8 a.m. Tuesday and will remain open until the threat of flooding in Illinois’ southern regions dissipates, according to the governor’s office.
“The governor has called up National Guard troops. We’ve also got about a dozen agencies here in the emergency operation center,” said Melanie Arnold, a spokesperson for the State Emergency Operations Center.
She said that the Department of Natural Resources is patrolling the area by boat and land, Department of Corrections crews are helping to secure levees with sand bags and fresh water has been distributed to area residents.
“Basically everything in Southern Illinois is a concern. There is not one actual hot spot,” Arnold said, adding that concern has caused some residents to evacuate voluntarily and head to area shelters.
With tornadoes dominating headlines throughout the nation, many might wonder if twisters are actually prevalent in the Illinois area.
“Throughout our severe weather season there is the possibility, when the conditions become right, for severe storms and for tornadoes,” said Stephen Rodriguez, a meteorologist in the Chicago division of the National Weather Service. “They can pretty much happen anywhere, at any time.”
He said that there were four tornadoes recorded in Illinois in the past seven days.
According to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, there were 48 tornadoes in the state in 2010, which killed one person, injured 40 and caused more than $110 million in damages.
The agency said that since 1950 the majority of Illinois tornadoes have occurred between April 1 and June 30, putting us right in the middle of prime tornado season.
On Aug. 28, 1990, a tornado in Plainfield, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago, took the town by surprise. A hot and hazy day with low rolling clouds proved to be the perfect conditions for the brewing tornado, said Plainfield reference librarian Tina Beaird, who was involved in the 15th anniversary commemoration of the disaster five years ago.
“All of the things that were going on that day, the spikes in the air temp, the humidity. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when and where,” she said.
No one saw the tornado coming, which Beaird said traveled over 16 miles in eight minutes with winds over 200 mph that picked people up in their cars, and tossed an entire dumpster across the small town. Twenty-nine people were killed that day.
Beaird said that those who live and work in Plainfield take the threat of tornadoes seriously.
“In the spring you know to be prepared when severe weather strikes. It’s engrained in us how to react,” she said. “We have a tornado plan that’s in place when the sirens go off, because they still go off every year.”
For the library, which maintains several scrapbooks that detail the days following the tornado, the plan is to go into the basement and hide under the stairs.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency also recommends seeking out the lowest level of the building, or an inner hallway or room without windows. The agency also suggests getting underneath sturdy furniture, or protecting your head with pillows, mattresses or cushions.
Beaird said members of the Plainfield community understand what those in the south are going through.
“People’s lives and families were torn apart. It’s those kind of scars that will heal, but you don’t forget,” Beaird said.
