Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is set to join emergency teams in Kankakee County on Thursday. His visit comes in the wake of severe storms that have impacted the area.
Governor Pritzker will receive a detailed briefing from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency before personally inspecting the storm damage in Kankakee County.
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Authorities are urging non-residents to steer clear of the impacted areas. This request is to ensure that emergency responders and utility crews have the space needed to carry out their work efficiently.
The region is currently dealing with widespread debris, including remnants of homes, downed power lines, and uprooted trees, making travel hazardous.
On Tuesday, winds reaching speeds of up to 115 miles per hour tore through Kankakee County, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.
RELATED: Kankakee County cleans up damage left by EF-3 tornado, record-breaking hail; several injured
Remarkably, a group of individuals survived the storm by taking refuge in a basement and later had to escape through a window well to reach safety.
“I can’t believe that we walked away. I mean, four adults, three kids, and four dogs. And I don’t think any of us even have a scratch on us. I don’t know,” Boerschig said. “I will never live somewhere again that doesn’t have a storm shelter or a basement. That’s the only thing. I mean, it saved our life.”
There’s been an overwhelming show of support for people impacted by the storm with a Red Cross shelter stationed at the Kankakee Community College.
Resources are also available at Grace Baptist Church, which will open at 8 a.m., according to their Facebook page, for people in need of food, water and other supplies for cleanup
Volunteers, local business and community organizations have been making sure food is available for neighbors, first responders and crews work to clean up and bring some semblance of normalcy to this devastated community.
School District 111 schools remain closed Thursday. Also the district is offering free breakfast, lunch and dinner. the meals are served at the Lincoln Cultural Center on Warren Avenue in Kankakee.
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