Dupage Policy Journal

The Addison Village Board discussed recent weather disasters in the community during a meeting held on April 3.

The Board Trustees discussed the effects of the tornadoes, as well as the effectiveness of their preparation and responses and what they planned to do to recover and prepare for the next event.

On April 1, one of two tornadoes that came through Addison touched down in the area. Almost 20 tornadoes in the area caused Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) to issue a disaster declaration for several counties, including DuPage. County Chair Deb Conroy issued a disaster proclamation for DuPage the following week.

Addison Mayor Rich Veenstra shared that he had declared a state of disaster, as well, acknowledging the significance of the tornado making contact with the village and assuring the community that village officials were looking into all avenues of assistance and financial claims that they could pursue.

Veenstra then asked Addison Public Works Director Rick Federighi to discuss the village's response and status. Federighi reported that the village staff and public works team had been preparing for the forecasted tornado for about a week. While they did not expect the two inches of rain that fell within just 15 minutes in areas of Addison, the sewer and stormwater team immediately got on the flooded streets and worked to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The area also experienced a large number of downed trees and a lack of power, which they also quickly responded to prevent injuries from power lines or any fires from starting. Federighi asked villagers to continue to be careful around damaged trees and to call the Public Works Department to report any issues.

"At ACDC itself, which is the communications center for about 17 different agencies, they responded to over 300 calls for all the agencies they dispatched for," said Addison Police Chief Bill Hayden. "In fact, it was probably about one call a minute for five straight hours. So, they did a very good job. And actually, they had staffed up prior. They knew the storm was coming Thursday, so they had staffed up and were ready to go Friday, as well as the police department. There was staff on the street prior to, during, and after the event. Staff personnel as well as officers on the street checked the community, making sure everybody was safe, and responding to calls. Thank God no one was injured. Just a lot of damage."