Governor J.B. Pritzker surveyed flood damage inMachesney Park and Freeport Wednesday. The nearby Rock and Pecatonica Rivers reached record levels. The latter crested at its highest level since 1933.
Pritzker praised local officials for their evacuation and damage control efforts and said he would provide additional support from the state.
“I’ll be here today, but I’ll be back whenever this community needs more help, and of course, our emergency management officials are going to be on the ground, helping every single day," he said.
Pritzker declared the regional flooding a level 2 emergency, which paves the way for further state aid. Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau says additional flooding in nearby Wisconsin and Nebraska feeds into every Illinois river. This, she says, means a sustained flood fight statewide.
Stephenson County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Baker adds that it will take several weeks before affected residents can return to their homes. He says officials need to wait for the water to recede so they can perform a damage assessment.