A press release from Governor Bruce Rauner:

Governor Rauner activates State Incident Response Center in Springfield

State agencies ready to assist following tornado touchdowns

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Rauner this evening activated the State Incident Response Center (SIRC) in Springfield to ensure state personnel and equipment are ready to be quickly deployed if needed to help local emergency responders with public safety  issues following tornado touchdowns in Illinois this evening.

“I activated the State Incident Response Center to ensure we’re ready to act quickly if any local responders need our assistance,” said Governor Rauner.

“We’ve already deployed staff from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to the area to support local response efforts.”

Representatives from more than a dozen state agencies have reported to the SIRC. State officials are assessing the storm’s impact and communicating with local response officials to determine if state resources are needed to ensure citizen safety.

The SIRC will remain activated as long as necessary.

For updates on the current situation, visit the Ready Illinois website at www.ready.illinois.gov.