Thank you! It was announced Tuesday night that Chad Pregracke, a Quad Cities native, is the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year.

There were tens of thousands of people who spoke out passionately and took action to get Chad Pregracke recognized as the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year. Some because they are passionate about keeping America's rivers clean and others are moved and inspired by his humility, energy, determination, work ethic and sincerity.  Regardless of your motivation to support, vote and encourage others to rally behind Chad, the truth is, while Chad leads the charge and is relentless and driven; it's with his staff, crew, board, sponsors, media, YOU and more than 70,000 volunteers who are the difference makers.

The generosity and support that helped propel Living Lands & Waters and Chad to be voted as the 2013 CNN Hero is overwhelming. From his hometown, Quad Cities, to up and down the Mississippi River and beyond through our sponsors and colleges who have worked with us, to all of their friends and family from all over the country, people came together and made a statement to the world that our environment is important and keeping our rivers clean is what really matters.  Thank you for your votes, support and validating Chad's work and passion for the past 15 years. Thank you for being a part of a grass roots movement that has garnered international recognition. Thank you for making a difference.

Documentation Will Support Request for Federal Assistance

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will begin damage assessments on Thursday, November 21 in several Illinois counties devastated by Sunday's tornadoes and severe storms. The assessments were requested by the Governor and will provide the documentation necessary to support a request for federal assistance.

"The state of Illinois is doing everything necessary to ensure that every community impacted by these deadly tornados can rebuild and recover," Governor Quinn said. "These teams will gather information to help us quickly submit a federal disaster assistance request."

Five teams comprising personnel from FEMA, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration and local emergency management agencies will begin assessing damage to homes and businesses in Champaign, Grundy, Massac, Pope, Tazewell and Will counties on Thursday. The teams will continue until they have assessed damage in these counties plus the others that Governor Quinn declared state disaster areas - Douglas, Jasper, LaSalle, Pope, Wabash, Washington, Wayne and Woodford.

Assessment teams from IEMA and FEMA will begin meeting with local government officials in early December to collect information about disaster-related expenses they incurred. That information could be used to support a state request for federal assistance to reimburse units of government for 75 percent of their eligible expenses.

Governor Quinn on Monday surveyed damage and met with local officials in the severely impacted communities of Washington, Diamond, Gifford, Brookport and New Minden.

Governor Quinn activated the State Incident Response Center on Sunday to coordinate the deployment of state personnel and assets to assist local governments in the affected areas. The state's tornado response is coordinated by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. State assistance provided to tornado-impacted communities to date includes:

·         Personnel from IEMA to the affected communities to assist with response and recovery issues.

·         Four Technical Rescue Teams were sent to Washington.

·         One Technical Rescue Team was sent to Gifford.

·         Two three-man engine companies will work 12-hour shifts through Wednesday in Gifford to provide much-needed relief to the town's firefighters.

·         More than 40 light towers have been delivered to assist with nighttime operations in Washington (26), Pekin (6), Gifford (10) and Brookport (2).

·         Command vehicles have been deployed to Washington and Pekin to support response operations.

·         Gifford was assisted with public water supply interruption.

·         Law enforcement support has come from the Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and Illinois Commerce Commission officers.

·         One five-person Emergency Management Assistance Team support trailer and 10 Starcom radios have been provided to Brookport.

·         40 Starcom 21 radios have been provided to assist Washington responders with emergency communications.

·         A programmable sign board from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to Gifford for emergency information

In addition, IDOT and the Illinois Department of Corrections are coordinating with local officials to provide assistance with clean up of debris in tornado-impacted communities.

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Des Plaines, Illinois (November 18, 2013)?Severe weather throughout the Midwestern US began early Sunday afternoon and continued through late Sunday evening, with tornadoes tearing through several cities in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. As soon as the storm clouds lifted, The Salvation Army responded, offering food, hydration, shelter and spiritual and emotional care through its network of Corps Community Centers throughout the Midwest.

Central Illinois

In the Central Illinois counties of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford, Illinois, most of the damage was centered around Washington, Illinois. Early reports claimed that an F-4 tornado may have entered Washington (15,000 pop.) and the adjoining areas of Tazewell County at approximately 11:45 am on Sunday, November 17. The most affected cities of Pekin, Morton, Washington and East Peoria (combined pop. of 100,000) suffered fully demolished houses, flooding and severe wind damage. Rescue crews worked through the night, while National Guard and Law Enforcement secured the most damaged areas to limit access.

The Salvation Army has deployed mobile kitchens (canteens) and spiritual care officers to assist in the recovery. Since early Sunday afternoon four canteens from Central Illinois have delivered essential nourishment and hydration to the cities of Washington, Pekin, Roanoke and Gifford, Illinois. In addition, some dry clothing items have been delivered to the search and rescue teams by Salvation Army crews. Salvation Army officers have also been deployed to shelters to comfort survivors.

Today these canteens are providing hot drinks and baked goods for rescue and relief workers in the affected areas. The work of assessing and forecasting the immediate needs of this disaster event continues. Until further notification, the Heartland Division (The Salvation Army in Central Illinois and Eastern Iowa) will consider this a long term assignment and plan accordingly. Salvation Army officials request that you "Please keep this area in your prayers as we move towards recovery."

Metropolitan Chicago

In the Metro Chicago area, The Salvation Army has been at work since Sunday afternoon in Grundy and Will Counties. Today a canteen continued to offer food and hydration to first responders and survivors from a base at Coal City High School.

Southern Illinois

At approximately 2:20 pm Sunday, The Salvation Army dispatched a canteen to Washington County, Illinois for initial response to a report of a tornado touching down in New Minden. Initial reports stated that one house was destroyed, one church was damaged, and there were three confirmed fatalities. Salvation Army Volunteers from Centralia, Illinois assisted with the response effort. The canteen was released by authorities and redeployed to Brookport, Illinois, outside of Paducah, Kentucky, where reports indicated significant tornado damage, with 100 homes affected?50 of those destroyed. A canteen from Paducah is also staged to respond when needed.

Indiana

In Indiana, the Kokomo Corps Community Center sheltered 30 displaced persons last night and its canteen is serving the people of the city today. Damage in the area was so severe that the city prohibited vehicle traffic throughout Sunday evening and Monday morning. In Lafayette, Indiana another canteen was deployed Monday Morning at the request of local officials.

Canteens across Illinois and Indiana are staged to respond immediately when requested by local or state disaster officials. As the severity and extent of the damage becomes clear, it is expected that a greater response will be required.

How to Help

The best way to help The Salvation Army serve those affected by this storm is make a monetary contribution.

Online:

Give online at http://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/usc/2013-storms

By Phone:

Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY [1-800-725-2769]

By Mail:

To donate via mail, please send your check, designated "November Tornadoes" to:

ATTN: NOVEMBER TORNADOES

THE SALVATION ARMY

10 W ALGONQUIN ROAD

DES PLAINES, IL 60016-6000

Text to give:

Text STORM to 80888 and reply YES to confirm your donation*.

Terms and conditions:

*A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Message and Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. By participating you certify that you are 18 yrs or older and/or have parental permission. Donations are collected for the benefit of The Salvation Army by Innogive Foundation and subject to the terms found at igfn.org/t. Privacy policy: igfn.org/p. Text STOP to 80888 to stop; Text HELP to specify 80888 for help.

Donations of Household Good and Clothing:

Due to the emergency situation, The Salvation Army cannot guarantee that any individual donations of household goods or clothing (gifts-in-kind) will be sent to the disaster area. In times of disaster, our stores fill these needs from existing, pre-sorted stock. PLEASE continue to donate gently-used household goods to your local Salvation Army store. You will help your community and help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off location, please go to www.satruck.org.

Companies who wish to donate emergency supplies in bulk:

Please contact Bob Eisenhart at (847) 795-3086 or robert_eisenhart@usc.salvationarmy.org. Bob will work with you to determine suitability of donation, our capacity to use it, and where it should be delivered.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

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PEORIA, IL (11/17/2013)(readMedia)-- Ten firefighters and three vehicles assigned to the 182d Airlift Wing responded to Washington, Ill. to help with immediate search and recovery operations in the tornado damaged area.

The initial call for assistance came through the Mutual Aid Box Alert System (MABUS). The firefighters are trained in structural fire and building damage response and are assisting local firefighters on scene. No additional information is available at this time.