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* It’s probably worth noting that the one-month “essentials” budget passed by the Senate yesterday included funding for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. If the governor and AFSCME fail to convince a judge to order the comptroller to issue state worker paychecks, flood recovery might possibly become part of this shutdown debate…

Rescue crews evacuated about 40 people because of flooding in the southwestern Illinois city of Centreville, paddling them to safety in orange inflatable rafts above streets that had turned to muddy rivers.

Emergency personnel went door to door to more than 100 homes on Friday, but some residents refused to leave despite floodwaters that reached 4 feet in places, KSDK-TV reported. […]

There also was flooding Friday in eastern Illinois, where the state’s department of transportation had to close a section of U.S. Highway 45 about three miles north of Mattoon.

* And more in Beardstown…

The Illinois River is breaking more than its 2013 record. It’s tearing up roads, too.

Two new sinkholes have opened up along Main Street since the river hit major flooding stages late last month. Underground pressure associated with the rising water has caused cracks and created wide pits along the town’s main thoroughfare, public works director Gary Hamilton said. […]

The river hit a record 30 feet Wednesday afternoon. Prevention efforts in the Cass County town of about 6,000 began Monday, nearly a week after most other towns along the river began sandbagging. Beardstown’s 35-foot flood wall keeps residents and the city feeling pretty secure, Mayor Steve Patterson said. But as the river levels inched closer to the 29.8-inch crest record from 2013, nerves increased for some residents.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:03 am

Comments

Welp, we need fair maps and term limits before Beardstown can count on the state for assistance? What will the governor say, heaven forbid, it gets much worse?

“Collateral damage”?

Hoping for the best in Beardstown. No snark.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:08 am
Nothing like a little disaster to put a monkey wrench in a leveraged crisis.

Snark aside, this will also affect other agencies that respond to emergencies. Hopefully, our governmental children can stop arguing over their toys long enough to ensure flood response is adequately addressed.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:12 am
From the National Weather Service’s website (if you are interested in tracking the floodwaters):

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=ILX

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:17 am
The remnants of tropical storm Bill have saturated the State for the greater part of the last 2 weeks. The irony is too perfect that a storm called Bill would force the hand of the Governor to restrategize. And the icing on the cake is that he can’t blame Madigan or Cullerton for this Bill.

Comment by NeveroddoreveN Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:17 am
As I was saying last week…. Perhaps I could get a job as a psychic? Fortunately, the rain is somewhat out of the forecast. Anyway, it was irresponsible to completely veto the entire budget when the Governor had line item veto. At a minimum he should have kept IEMA and the National Guard appropriated. But I think he painted himself into a corner on the budget and didn’t really leave himself any other option.

Comment by A Jack Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:17 am
Yeah, but the pain will be worth it as long as we get rid of fair share, the prevailing wage and Unions.

Comment by Triple fat Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:19 am
If AFSCME hadn’t asked for a 11.5% raise, this flooding would never have happened.

Comment by Name Withheld Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:22 am
“Don’t Blame Me, I Voted Present”

Tee-shirts, bumper stickers and coffee mugs now available in the Capitol gift shop.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:26 am
===The irony is too perfect that a storm called Bill===

Man, I miss Bill.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:28 am
Depending on the amount of damage and if there is a federal disaster declaration, much of the damage can be repaired using FHWA ER funds. Unfortunately, because of the pending state shutdown, the money won’t be available because it has to be washed through IDOT.

The hook is that the FHWA money can only be used on roads that haveven used federal funds before. And there is a time limit to get the repairs completed.

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:33 am
Can’t help but wonder how things might be different today if Brady had pulled out before the primary.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:33 am
It’s a dangerous game, this shutdown business. The governor might want to plug in a risk/chance for reward model.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:33 am
Crisis creates leverage. If Madigan and the politicians he controls want to see IEMA activated to save Beardstown, they better pass that two-year property tax freeze with the real reforming prevailing wage elimination written in! Gov. Rauner is fightin’ for everyone.

Comment by Tournaround Agenda Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:38 am
OW, just to expand on your comment.

Welp, we need fair maps in 2023 and term limits in 2025 before Beardstown can count on the state for assistance today?

Comment by Juice Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:38 am
And in other areas of the real world, Human Service providers starting issuing layoff notices yesterday.

Comment by Give Me A Break Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:43 am
And where is the Rauner / AFSCME suit? Are they still shopping for a favorable venue?

Comment by Elo Kiddies Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:49 am
Tee-shirts, bumper stickers and coffee mugs available for a limited time in the State Museum gift shop.

fixed it …

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 9:53 am
Beardstown’s soil, especially the first few blocks up from the river, has a lot of sand mixed in with the dirt. A friend grew up them and lived there most of his life. In the past, I saw first-hand how bad that soil got saturated, levee or no levee. I’d expect even more road and building foundation damage before it is all over with.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 10:00 am
@Anonymous

=Can’t help but wonder how things might be different today if Brady had pulled out before the primary.=

…or if the unions hadn’t placed all their bets on “union bought and paid for” Rutherford instead of “union bought and paid for” Dillard.

If either of those two had been elected, there would be no push back against spending more than revenues, probably a tax increase that would just allow the dysfunction in Springfield to continue a bit longer, and NO chance for changing the corrupt Madigan mess and economic and financial wasteland he’s created in Illinois.

Basically, they’d be Quinn Redux.

Comment by Arizona Bob Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 10:09 am
Act of God meets Act of Foolishness equals Act of Mercy.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 10:21 am
It won’t matter much if the judge orders state workers to get paid. They won’t have authority to provide relief or even buy gas for their own vehicles.

Comment by Juvenal Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 10:30 am
===even buy gas for their own vehicles===

They can buy gas on credit.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 10:30 am
Some gas stations don’t take the state credit card even when there is a budget because they don’t get paid for many, many months.
A state police officer told me they never like to buy gas for the police cars with their own money for the same reason. Getting reimbursed from the state takes almost forever.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 11:00 am
SUPERSTAR!

Comment by crazybleedingheart Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 12:54 pm
My thoughts and prayers go out to my friends still in my hometown of Beardstown. The photos of the river at this level are amazingly scary. At least the Illinois River will crest there before the water tops the rails on the BNSF railroad river bridge (that I use to operate via the Burlington yard office when I was a summer relief worker home from college.) Hopefully, Springfield will be more functional when it comes time for building the levees higher. For now, Beardstown folk are used to fending for themselves without Springfield’s help.

Comment by Diogenes in DuPage Thursday, Jul 2, 15 @ 2:18 pm