Local and state elected officials gathered for a press conference in Naperville’s Cinnamon Creek neighborhood on Monday, June 21 to express solidarity with all the victims of Sunday night’s EF-3 tornado. The neighborhood, located south of 75th Street along Ranchview Drive, was the area worst-hit by the storm.
Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico and Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis, as well as state representatives Lauren Underwood (D-14), Sean Casten (D-6), and Bill Foster (D-11) were all in attendance. City manager Doug Krieger, Police Chief Robert Marshall and local Red Cross Executive Director Brian McDaniel were also present.
Taking Warnings Seriously
Of the state representatives that attended the press conference, only Rep. Bill Foster spoke. He commented on the importance of emergency preparedness and reminded Naperville residents to always take warning alerts seriously.
“The whole situation highlights the of people paying attention to the sirens and the cell phone alerts,” Foster said.
He credited families’ fast action in responding to those alerts as the reason why no one was killed during the storm.
Red Cross Response
McDaniel said that local Red Cross personnel began monitoring the storm around 10 p.m. Sunday evening. By 2 a.m. Monday morning, they began dispatching Red Cross volunteers to aid people in the affected area.
“The Red Cross supported, overnight, 14 people that were in temporary housing… and we began to do casework,” McDaniel said, “where we provided disaster and mental health services, spiritual care and preliminary medical services.”
He then announced that the Red Cross would be operating a temporary shelter at Thomas Jefferson Junior High School in Woodridge.
Aid and Solidarity
The Red Cross was not the only organization to offer aid to those impacted by the storm. Multiple public and private groups have stepped forward since Monday morning, offering everything from food and bottled water to fresh-pressed suits. For more information on how you or your organization can offer aid or show their own solidarity, follow this link.
Naperville News 17′ David Byrnes reports
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