By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News
Governor Bruce Rauner was in Pontiac Friday morning to survey storm damage from Wednesday’s EF2 tornado that struck the city.
Rauner said at this point, state and federal emergency aid probably wouldn’t be available due to the minor amount of damage to the city.
“We do have programs available in our Department of Commerce for low interest loans for those businesses who are not able to cover their losses through their insurance. We also have programs, grants and low interest loans for low income families that as they recover from the storm, if they don’t have other coverage, we’ll try to assist them where we can,” Rauner said.
Representative Tom Bennett was also present for Rauner’s tour through the damage, and added that the next step is to rebuild, and he said he already sees it happening.
“This is the next step in clean up and getting back and going. We need them. They’re part of the community and that’s one thing about this community – this community pulls together,” Bennett said.
State Senator Jason Barickman, who was also present, wants to remind constituents that he and his peers aren’t only available for work in Springfield, but to also assist everyone who needs it.
“For people who fall between the cracks, that’s when they should call me, because there are both state and federal programs that might be able to assist them and rather than them simply feeling frustrated by the fact that they struck out with their insurance provider, I hope that they’ll look to me and my colleagues as a resource for them. We want to be their advocate. Much of what we do is constituent service and if we can help someone in a time of need, I’m glad to do it,” Barickman said.
There are a lot of organizations setting out to assist victims of Wednesday’s tornado. Greg Besgrove, regional director of operations for County Market, said the Pontiac store will be taking non-perishable food donations for all victims, but also cash and clothing donations for the family of four who lost their home at Sterling Estates during the storm.
“We are taking cash and clothing donations at the service desk and any non perishable food items that would be donated, we will make sure they’ll get those items, as well,” Besgrove said.
Other organizations offering a helping hand at this time include Mid-Central Community Action, with office hours On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9-noon and 1-4 at 224 N. Main Street in Pontiac and people can call them at 309-829-0691. The Salvation Army is available by calling 844-5005, Pontiac Township at 844-6682 and the Pontiac Area Chamber of Commerce at 844-5131. Other resources are also available by dialing 211.
Dave Lopeman with the City of Pontiac also wants to warn residents of potential scams when it comes to people offering to repair damages to homes, as they’ve been spotted around town immediately after the storm occurred.
“Due to the reported storms, there’s been lots of reported damage and we have observed out of town contractors driving the streets. We want residents of the city to be aware that any contractor, any job for hire in town, the contractor must be registered with the City of Pontiac. What that registration does is it ensures the customer that they have liability insurance and a bond with the City of Pontiac. On top of that, most repairs of any nature would require a permit from this office. So we just want to be sure that the public is aware of this.”
