VIENNA, ILLINOIS – After back-to-back disasters, Johnson County officials are racing to keep up with relief efforts as they attempt to balance tornado cleanup and looming flood threats.
An Emergency Operations Center meeting was held before the storms hit to get everyone on the same page, according to Richard Marose, the Johnson County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency coordinator.
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“We had an EOC meeting yesterday prior to the storm, with all the responsible parties; county government, city government, highway crews, police, and others,” Marose said.
The county is now dealing with the aftermath of two major weather events: a severe storm followed by potential flooding.
“We’ve been on top of this. This, I think, is our third or fourth tornado in four years,” Marose said.
The National Weather Service is still surveying and haven’t officially announced if a tornado occured in Johnson County.
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Despite the chaos, Marose said getting to affected areas hasn’t been a problem. Police and highway crews were out monitoring roads during the storm.
“The police department and highway department are all down the roads continuously. They were out last night during the storm, and those guys know the areas very well,” Marose said.
Marose said that the process for assessing damage is straightforward but tedious. Officials conduct visual assessments and communicate with residents before handing things over to the Red Cross.
“The Red Cross kind of took over from there, assisting people with their needs,” Marose said.
One of the worst-hit areas in Johnson County is Tall Tree Road, which was directly struck by the storm. From the moment you turn onto the road, the destruction is obvious.
Trees were snapped in half or completely uprooted, leaving jumbled piles of branches and debris scattered everywhere. The road was lined with large puddles, and branches were strewn along the sides, making some areas nearly impassable. Entire sections of the woods appeared mangled and torn apart on Thursday.
Marose said that cleaning the damage will be a long process.
“We haven’t finished with the last one yet. Cleanup effort recovery will take months,” Marose said.
Marose says that crews were still working on Dutchman Lake Road, Dixon Road and Shelby Road when the latest storm hit.
Officials haven’t even had time to estimate how much the recovery will cost.
“We haven’t had time to sit down and calculate that yet,” Marose said.
Johnson County is relying on its partnerships with local schools, churches and other community organizations to provide shelter while prepping for the expected floods.
“We’ve got a great shelter relationship with our high schools, grade schools, and several churches in our county,” Marose said. He credited Superintendent Joshua Stafford for helping organize these efforts.
Volunteers, especially high school students, have been stepping up in a big way.
“Right now, I’m looking at about 30 or 40 young adults filling sandbags. The community definitely comes together,” Marose said.
Marose says they’re bracing for more rain over the next few days, but the community’s response has been encouraging.
As floodwaters are expected to rise, Johnson County officials and volunteers are fighting to stay ahead of the damage.
Editor’s note: This story was edited to clarify the location of the storm damage.
Staff reporter Joslyn Cole can be reached at jcole@dailyegyptian.com. To stay up to date on To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Instagram @dailyegyptian.
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