McHenry County Blog

Yesterday, before a tornado devastating Harrisburg in Southern Illinois, the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency released this press release:

Local, State Emergency Management Officials Launch Weather Alert Radio Contest

March is Severe Weather Preparedness Month in Illinois

McHENRY COUNTY, IL- Local and state emergency management officials today launched a statewide contest aimed at increasing awareness and use of weather alert radios.

The Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) are sponsoring the “Weather Alert Radios Save Lives” contest, in which participants will complete an on-line quiz for a chance to win a weather alert radio.

The contest will be highlighted throughout March, which is Severe Weather Preparedness Month in Illinois.

“2011 was one of the worst years for tornado deaths in the U.S. in the past 60 years,” said IEMA Director Jonathon Monken.

“Fortunately, Illinois didn’t experience these terrible storms, but we never know when or where the next deadly storm could strike.

“Weather alert radios are a key tool for alerting people to approaching danger, day or night, and every home should have one.”

The contest is available on the Ready Illinois website (www.Ready.Illinois.gov), the IESMA website (www.iesma.org) and on many county and municipal emergency management agency websites.

“A total of 100 weather alert radios will be awarded to participants who register after reading information about the radios and successfully completing a five-question quiz. The contest runs from Feb. 28 through March 31.

“Winners will be announced in April.

“Through this contest, we hope to make people in Illinois more aware of the importance of weather alert radios as part of their personal preparedness kit,” said IESMA President Chuck Genesio.

“Much like a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector alerts people to those dangers, weather alert radios warn people of hazards outside the home so they have time to seek shelter or take other actions to stay safe.”

IESMA purchased the weather alert radios in 2010 and 2011 as part of a program to increase emergency preparedness in local schools, hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities and government buildings throughout Illinois.

Nearly 7,300 weather alert radios were distributed for placement in these facilities through the program, which was funded with $172,420 in federal homeland security grant funds allocated by the Illinois Terrorism Task Force. The 100 radios distributed as part of the “Weather Alert Radios Save Lives” contest will help Illinois residents better prepare for emergencies.

The National Weather Service (NWS) and state and local emergency management officials strongly encourage people to have

• a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio All Hazards with battery backup,
• a tone-alert feature and Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology, which allows the radio to be programmed to receive alerts for specified counties.

When an alert is issued for that area, the device will sound a warning alarm tone followed by the broadcast message.

Besides weather information, the NWS also broadcasts warnings and post-event information for all types of hazards, including natural, environmental and public safety hazards, such as earthquakes, chemical spills and AMBER alerts.

“Tornadoes do not just occur during the day,” said Chris Miller, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lincoln.  [Harrisburg's blew in at 1:28 AM.]

“In Illinois, 30% of all tornadoes occur at night when it can be difficult to hear outdoor warning sirens from inside your home, especially if you are asleep.

“The best way to be warned about tornadoes at night is to have a weather alert radio in your home.

“It is like having your own personal storm siren.”

IEMA and the NWS developed a Severe Weather Preparedness Guide, which provides information about tornadoes, severe storms, lightning and flooding and recommended actions to take before, during and after each of these weather events.

The guide also includes definitions of important weather terms, including watches, warnings and advisories and a list of items needed for a family emergency supply kit. The guide is available on the Ready Illinois website at www.Ready.Illinois.gov or by calling 217-785-9925.

It will probably come as no surprise to most that McHenry County taxpayers have more money extracted from their checking accounts than is returned.

But here comes news from county government that we got some back.  When one adds up all the local governments that got money, it totals $1,579,862.50.

McHenry County Receives FEMA Funds for February 2, 2011 Blizzard

WOODSTOCK, IL – As a result of the one of the worst winter storms in recent memory, McHenry County received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the February 2, 2011 Blizzard.

The Presidential Disaster Declaration provided the County with public assistance funds to reimburse the extraordinary labor/personnel costs, equipment costs, and consumable materials and supplies available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

While many businesses were closed and residents were snowed in, McHenry County employees worked around the clock to coordinate County snow removal efforts and assist those stranded due to the storm.

Three McHenry County Departments were reimbursed for their expenses for this winter event.

Monies were afforded to the

• McHenry County Sheriff’s Office ($25,604.96),
• McHenry County Division of Transportation ($170,553.05), and to
• McHenry County Facilities Management ($10,819.20).

McHenry County received a total of $206,977.21. County-wide, local entities received $1,579,862 through the Presidential Disaster Declaration.

[But, there is much more, as you can see at the bottom of this press release.]

While the dedicated effort of employees allowed the County to get back up and running after the blizzard subsided, it was also an opportunity for McHenry County to test and rethink its Hazards Mitigation Plan.

The McHenry County Hazards Mitigation Plan was the result of a partnership between County, Municipal, Townships, and public safety entities within the County (serving as the McHenry County Hazard Mitigation Committee) to identify the best storm and hazard management practices to mitigate disasters.

McHenry County Emergency Management Agency will host its first annual review of the McHenry County Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan on Thursday, November 10 at 9:00 a.m. in the McHenry County Administration Building – Conference Room B in Woodstock, IL.

The Committee will determine if other mitigation issues or efforts, based on any natural hazard occurrences (such as the winter storm) or input from communities or the public, should be added to the Plan. Information from this meeting will form the basis of the annual report to be submitted to the County Board by the Chairman of this Committee.

Further, McHenry County Emergency Management Coordinating Council will utilize the Hazards Mitigation Plan as a framework for coordinating efforts and County resources, pooling the collective knowledge of all entities within the County to support the ongoing preparation and mitigation for disasters/hazards.

McHenry County Emergency Management Agency Director David Christensen expanded upon the role the Coordinating Council and Hazards Mitigation Plan will have addressing future disasters. “By utilizing the Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Coordinating Council will work to assist those jurisdictions who are lacking resources to do a preliminary damage assessment. As a follow-up to the disasters, we will also review lessons learned here in McHenry County as to what worked well, what didn’t and how to mitigate future damages.”

The McHenry County Emergency Management Coordinating Council meets the fourth Thursday of each month in the McHenry County Administration Building in Woodstock, IL.

For more information on the McHenry County Emergency Management Coordinating Council or Hazards Mitigation Plan, please contact David Christensen at 815-338-6400.

Below is what other McHenry County governments have received:

Cary CCSD 26 $13,257.38
Johnsburg School District 12  $6,283.78
Algonquin, Village of $77,003.08
McHenry Township Road District $37,618.4
McHenry Township Road District $3,269.68
Marian Central Catholic High School $2,842.50
Bull Valley, Village of $10,192.52
McHenry County Sheriff’s Office $25,604.96
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District $1,945.61
Special Education District of McHenry County $5,883.56
Cary, Village of $37,392.52
Crystal Lake, City of $1,377.33
Crystal Lake, City of $141,794.00
Fox River Grove, Village of $11,288.31
Greenwood Township $21,545.03
Harvard, City of $24,498.76
Hebron, Village of $11,188.47
Holiday Hills, Village of $3,013.88
Huntley, Village of $46,185.59
Johnsburg, Village of $17,269.04
Lake in the Hills, Village of $53,656.96
Lakemoor, Village of 1122-0 $13,836.37
Lakewood, Village of 593-0 $8,588.66
McCullom Lake, Village of 625-0 $5,297.94
McHenry, City of $76,343.85
Marengo, City of $12,704.45
Oakwood Hills, Village of $3,098.01
Prairie Grove, Village of $5,742.61
Richmond, Village of $13,621.85
Ringwood, Village of $2,888.87
Spring Grove, Village of $37,622.89
Union, Village of $2,158.38
Wonder Lake, Village of $21,548.52
Woodstock, City of $143,709.83
Algonquin Township Road District $56,639.78
Cary Park District $9,336.47
McHenry Community High School District 156 $9,657.43
Harvard Community Unit School District 50 $7,486.37
McHenry County College $21,700.76
Alden-Hebron School District 19 $1,732.60
Consolidated School District 158 $21,163.47
Community Consolidated Crystal Lake School District $59,387.87
Wonder Lake Fire Protection District $8,039.96
Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 $21,795.35
Nunda Township Road District $53,735.27
Dunham Township Highway Department $11,503.04
Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District $3,420.776
McHenry County Division of Transportation $170,553.05
Seneca Township Road and Bridge $10,755.65
McHenry Township Parks Department $2,587.08
McHenry County Facilities Management $10,819.20
Riley Township Road District $8,453.00
Marengo Township Highway Department $13,828.09
Coral Township Road District $10,433.32
Fox River Grove CSD 3 $5,653.84
Grafton Township Road District $13,208.56
Chemung Township Road District $11,173.28
Nippersink School District 2 $6,112.73
McHenry CCSD 15 $12,190.55
Huntley Fire Protection District $3,602.08
Mercy Harvard Hospital $1,731.55
Hartland Township Road District $11,252.44
Port Barrington, Village of $6,662.86
Richmond Township Road and Bridge District $14,005.52
Pioneer Center for Human Services $2,666.25
Richmond-Burton Comm. High School District 15 $5,841.30
Hebron Township Road District $13,339.27
Southeast Emergency Communications $2,192.74
Community High School District 155 $19,031.58
McHenry County Conservation District $9,342.50
Alden Township Road District  $10,608.77
Dorr Township Highway Department $17,944.50

The McHenry County Board’s Law and Justice Committee gave unanimous approval to Hoffman Estates’ Emergency Management Agency Director David Christensen to assume the post in McHenry County.

The Round Lake resident will take over the position that Barry Valentine has been handling for the last thirty-two years.

 

Thursday, Christensen is scheduled to appear before the Finance and Audit Committee for similar approval.

When he learned he had made the cut, Christensen apparently was at an international association meeting. He said that McHenry County’s Emergency Management Agency’s reputation was such that several in attendance were impressed with his new job.

Committee Chairman Nick Provenzano, who was on the interview committee, said he hoped future efforts would be made to train volunteers to assist neighbors when emergency response personnel were unavailable.