Letter to Hon. Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States - Durbin, Duckworth, Davis, Bost Lead Illinois Delegation In Urging White House To Support Emergency Declaration For 28 Counties Following Severe Weather

Letter

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing in support of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's request for an Emergency Declaration for the following Illinois counties to assist in the response to extensive tornado damage: Bond, Cass, Champaign, Coles, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Greene, Grundy, Iroquois, Jackson, Jersey, Kankakee, Lawrence, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike, Sangamon, Shelby, Tazewell, and Woodford.

This past weekend, severe weather and tornadoes impacted Central Illinois and the Metro East area. An EF-3 tornado caused the collapse of an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville. While 45 employees were rescued from the collapsed building, there were six fatalities, and there is still an ongoing search and rescue mission for unaccounted employees at this site.

Governor Pritzker has determined that this incident is of such severity that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and local governments, and the State is in need of Public Assistance to continue responding to and recovering from this tragic disaster.

Thank you in advance for your timely consideration of this important request. We stand ready to assist in any way appropriate.

Sincerely,