Governor Rauner activates State Incident Response Center in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Rauner this evening activated the State Incident Response Center (SIRC) in Springfield to ensure state personnel and equipment are ready to be quickly deployed if needed to help local emergency responders with public safety  issues following tornado touchdowns in Illinois this evening. 

“I activated the State Incident Response Center to ensure we’re ready to act quickly if any local responders need our assistance,” said Governor Rauner. “We’ve already deployed staff from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to the area to support local response efforts.”

Representatives from more than a dozen state agencies have reported to the SIRC. State officials are assessing the storm’s impact and communicating with local response officials to determine if state resources are needed to ensure citizen safety.

The SIRC will remain activated as long as necessary.

For updates on the current situation, visit the Ready Illinois website at

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• 06/04/15 - SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Residents of Illinois Affected by Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes​​
• 06/03/15 - SBA Approves Tornado Assistance for Northern Illinois
• 04/10/15 - Governor Rauner Declares DeKalb and Ogle Counties State Disaster Areas​

​​Tax Filing Information from Illinois Dept. of Revenue

The Department of Revenue will waive penalties and interest for taxpayers who cannot file or pay on time as a result of early-April’s violent storms and tornadoes. Read more about the waiver.

Volunteers and Donations Information

• FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO VOLUNTARY AGENCIES RESPONDING TO DISASTERS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO HELP
• Cash allows disaster agencies to purchase exactly what is needed
• Donate now to the Illinois Tornado Relief Effort 2015​

• Donate ONLY those things that are requested by officials and bring them to the official designated collection centres.

• DO NOT GO TO THE SCENE OF A DISASTER
• Due to the overwhelming response, there are far more volunteer offers than there are volunteer needs.
• The arrival of unexpected volunteers will interfere with response efforts
• STAY SAFE by volunteering with a reputable agency!
• Volunteers will be needed most during the long-term recovery phase, which will last months/years.
• Please be patient and WAIT until relief agencies can train you and use your help
• Visit www.ready.illinois.gov for information on specific sites that can utilize volunteers. It will be posted once a need has been verified by a local unit of government.

OGLE COUNTY (via the Ogle County Sheriff's Office)

Social Media
Information is available on the Ogle County Sheriff Website (www.oglecounty.org and Facebook Page.

Donations
Do not send donations of clothing, food, water, etc. Officials are requesting that the general public refrain from those donations as we do not need these items. Preferred donations include gift cards which may be delivered to the Rochelle Fire Department, located at 401 S. 5th Avenue, Rochelle. Monetary donations may be made through the Rochelle Area Community Foundation at www.rochellefoundation.org or via postal mail at P.O. Box 74, Rochelle, IL 61068.

DEKALB COUNTY (via the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office and Village of Kirkland at villageofkirkland.com)

Volunteers
As we begin to transition from disaster relief to long term recovery, individuals interested in volunteering can fill out the form (link below) and they will be contacted as an opportunity becomes available. Volunteering will be on a much more scheduled basis going forward.

Individual Volunteer Form

Group Volunteer Form

Individuals and groups interested in volunteering in the community of Fairdale should fill out the respective forms and wait for the volunteer coordination team to get in touch with them as opportunities arise. We ask for your patience as we transition from the Initial Response to Long Term Recovery. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Volunteer Hotline at 815-762-8653

Due to the overwhelming response of donations of goods, there are

donations being accepted as we do not have any more space to house what’s been received. However, the Kirkland Fire Department is still accepting donations of gift cards and Visa/Mastercard debit cards at the Fire Station located

. In addition, we are still accepting monetary donations through the link below.

Currently, there not any items that are needed. As we transition from relief into long term recovery, this situation may change. Please keep checking this site as things progress for updates.

Monetary Donations
An Official Go Fund Me account has been established at Alpine Bank in Kirkland for anyone looking to make monetary donations. Please click the link above to donate to the Relief Fund. Alpine Bank has graciously offered to absorb all the administrative costs associated with the fund so that all the monies collected will be distributed to the families. Alpine Bank also has accounts set up for the Kirkland Community Fire Department and for the Kirkland Lions Club for those who wish to mail in or drop off any monetary donations. Please make your checks payable to Fairdale Relief Fund and mail them to:

Alpine Bank
Fairdale Relief Fund
PO Box 280
Kirkland, IL 60146

All donations currently received will be used for monetary relief for the affected families and will be distributed by the Kirkland Lions Club. Remaining funds will then be transferred to the Long Term Recovery fund for assistance with those families that are in need of additional assistance.