McHenry County Assistant Director EMA Helping In Southern Illinois

On April 29th, Governor Pat Quinn issued a disaster proclamation to ensure state resources are readily available to support local governments affected by a series of severe storms that have affected southern Illinois during the past two weeks. Forecasts for additional heavy rains last week also had the potential to send swollen waterways even higher and cause widespread flooding throughout the region.

The McHenry County Assistant Director of Emergency Management Bob Ellsworth was deployed to the Illinois Unified Area Command (Logistics Section) in Marion, Illinois to assist in local efforts through the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA).

Both the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers have reached record levels in southern Illinois, completely overwhelming local response efforts. Mr. Ellsworth’s deployment was at the request of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and his service is with an Emergency Management Assistance Team under the direction of the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association. Mr. Ellsworth is currently assisting in acquiring and staging needed supplies and personnel resources for a seven day deployment. This deployment is part of the long legacy of contributions McHenry County has made to its neighbors near and far.

“It is truly fitting that Bob deploys the week of Director Barry Valentines retirement (Barry Valentine is retiring after 32 years of dedicated public service to the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency on May 6). It is a result of Barry’s positive influence, mentoring, and the training opportunities he provided that has put Bob in the position of being able to serve the residents of Illinois,” stated incoming Director of Emergency Management David A. Christensen.

Assistant Director Robert Ellsworth is among liaisons from several state and local agencies that are working with the IEMA to coordinate the deployment of personnel and assets to assist local governments in the affected areas. For more information about the state's flood response and flood safety, please visit the Ready Illinois website.