Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker visited the city of Belvidere in Boone County on Sunday morning, touring the damaged community after a tornado caused a roof collapse at a music venue, killing one person and injuring at least 48 others.
Pritzker met with local officials, along with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and said that he was “tremendously grateful” for members of the community that came together to help those impacted by the devastating storm.
“Lives were saved because of the quick work of the people who live here, and the people who work here.” He said.
Pritzker said that five people remain in critical condition after the roof collapse at the Apollo Theater, which occurred during a concert Friday night.
An EF-1 tornado hit the structure, according to Pritzker, with the roof collapse leading to the death of 50-year-old Frederick Forest Livingston, Jr.
Pritzker issued a disaster declaration for Boone County on Saturday, along with DuPage County after a tornado damaged structures in the village of Addison.
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Crawford County was also covered by the proclamation after three people died when a house collapsed during Friday’s storms. Sangamon and Marion County were also included, according to the governor’s office.
Pritzker says he is seeking federal assistance for those communities impacted, saying that they “face a long road to recovery” after the devastation wrought by the storms.
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“The people of Illinois know that when others are hurting, they will show up for each other, to help to alleviate the suffering,” he said. “As your governor, I couldn’t be more proud of everyone involved.”
Approximately 4,400 Illinoisans across the state are still without power on Sunday, with Pritzker saying that electricity is expected to be restored to those communities by the end of the weekend.
As communities clean up, another round of severe weather could potentially be looming Tuesday, as the Storm Prediction Center has most of Illinois at an “enhanced risk” of dangerous thunderstorms. Some western parts of the state are once again at a “moderate risk” of severe weather, according to the SPC projections.
Some questions remain about the track of the storms, as well as the impact that an area of high pressure could have on their development over the Midwest.
