Litchfield residents continue to cleanup after Friday’s flooding. The National Weather Service reprots at least 50 homes were damaged. The City of Litchfield continues to partner with IEMA, the American Red Cross, and the EMA on damage assessment efforts. Damage assessment teams are still at work to seek out information from additional victims of Friday’s mind bending rain totals. A member of the damage assessment team may contact you this week if they have not done so already. The goal of the damage assessment is to gather a sampling of flood damage within the City of Litchfield, and the team will not be contacting all individuals who reported damage. If you have submitted your information, you do not need to do anything further.  

It has been determined that the flood damage to the community does not meet the threshold to be eligible for FEMA funding. However, the City of Litchfield is working with IEMA to qualify for the SBA low-interest loan program. This program would allow those who have experienced damage the opportunity to utilize a low-interest loans to make necessary repairs or replacements. More information will follow as soon as the City receives it. We anticipate representatives from the SBA program to be onsite next week for further assessment.  

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief is in the community to assist residents with basement mitigation efforts, including the removal of damaged items, and fogging and spraying to kill harmful mold. Should you need assistance, please contact State Director Arnold Ramage at 618-889-1938 or Assistant State Director Glen Carty at 217-652-8004. 

The City of Litchfield plans to pick up damaged materials beginning on June 10th in order to give everyone time to get the items to the curb. Please separate items by material – appliances together, wood furniture together, etc. We ask that only those who need to dispose of damaged items utilize this pickup service, as junk pickup was just a few weeks ago. City crews may pick up some items ahead of June 10th as they are able, but they will make a round in each ward beginning on June 10th. Again, please only set out damaged items and do not set anything out if you did not have flood damage.  

If you have structural damage or damage to structural contents that you have not yet reported and you are within City limits, please use the below form to report it or call 217-324-5991 and provide your name, address, phone number, and a brief description of the damage. While you do not need to submit photos at this time, please take photos to document the damage.  

Mayor Dougherty has declared a Disaster Declaration for flooding within the City of Litchfield.

The City of Litchfield is partnering with the Red Cross and IEMA to perform a flood damage assessment. If you have structural damage or damage to structural contents and you are within the City limits, please report it to 217-324-5991 or fill out the below form. If you are out of City limits, please report it to 217-532-9511. In your report, include your address, briefly describe the damage to the property, and provide your contact information. While you do not yet need to submit photos, please document the damage with photos.

In the event of a flooded basement, please remember to prioritize safety above all else. Avoid entering the flooded area until the water has receded. Turn off the electricity and gas to the affected area to prevent any accidents. Contact a qualified professional to assess the damage and assist with cleanup. Remember to wear protective gear such as rubber boots and gloves when handling any items in the flooded area. Stay safe and seek help if needed.

If you need assistance, please contact the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767.

Form to report damage: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScnUqi_ri9keV5aoeulvT_McZiXK1KL7rxj7EUQrFNHcnBw6g/viewform?usp=sharing

It has been a challenging day in Litchfield with an official 3.5 inches of rain. That's the rain gauge number for the National Weather Service, but another source at KMOV-TV provided a total of 4.6 inches elsewhere in Litchfield. Flooding was a concern, including a difficult spot for flooding, the campus of HSHS St Francis Hospital. Here's a statement from the hospital

"Due to recent heavy rains, HSHS St. Francis Hospital is experiencing some temporary flooding issues within some areas of our facility. Our teams and local emergency response partners are on site addressing the issues and we hope to have them resolved soon.

Patients and the community should know that we are still fully operational. There is no disruption in care for our patients."

It's been a long day for drivers on Northbound I-55 through Montgomery County.  A Hazmat situation is expected to  be resolved soon after the interstate was shut down for hours.  The driver escaped serious injuries in the following incident.  

At 8:27AM. Montgomery County 9-1-1 received a call stating that a semi had overturned immediately under the Northbound I-55 Exit 52 overpass. Litchfield Fire Department responder to the scene and
observed a double trailer overturned on its side. The trailer appeared to be leaking a gas. I-55 northbound lanes were totally blocked.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Hazardous Materials Division 56 Response Team was called to the scene to survey the scene and make an assessment of what may be leaking. It was discovered that
there were cylinders of a hazardous material present along with containers of paint and other non- hazardous items.
At this time both lanes of Interstate 55 on the northbound lanes are close and traffic is being rerouted to Old Route 66 to the Illinois 108 exit where the traffic is re-entering the interstate on the northbound lanes. The southbound lanes are open. There is a traffic back-up of several miles on thenorthbound lanes of interstate 55 from exit 52 on the northbound lanes of the interstate.
Presently MABAS 56 Hazardous Materials Team along with Raymond Harvel Fire Protection District, Litchfield Fire Department, MABAS assets including an air truck from Highland, Illinois and Montgomery County EMA are working with a hazardous materials clean up contractor to unload and
right the trailers. This is anticipated to take several more hours. Interstate 55 from the 52 exit to the Illinois 108 overhead will be closed.
Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Transportation Resources from District 6 are working to re-route the traffic around the incident.
 

HSHS Hospice invites community members to join them for a butterfly release ceremony at HSHS St. Francis Hospital on Wednesday, May 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Circle Drive by the St. Francis statue. 

Valerie Engelbart, Bereavement Services Supervisor for HSHS Hospice, shared, “This butterfly release ceremony provides a special time for families in our community to honor their loved ones. The butterfly represents the transformation of the spirit as our loved ones transition from this life.” 

Family and friends are invited to celebrate and remember the life of a loved one who has passed. The ceremony will include the reading of the names of those being honored in addition to the butterfly release. 

If you would like to participate in the ceremony, please RSVP to Valerie Engelbart, Bereavement Services Supervisor, at 217-685-0702 or email Valerie.engelbart@hshs.org. Butterflies will be released for all those honored, but you are invited to personally release a butterfly for your loved one by reserving a butterfly for $15 to be paid prior to the ceremony. 

You may also reserve a butterfly online by visiting giving.hshs.org/sae/donate and paying by credit or debit card. In the online form, select “Butterfly Release/Hospice Program” under the Designation section and select “This gift is in honor, memory or support of someone” under the Tribute Gift section and fill in the name of your loved one. 

For more information about HSHS St. Francis Hospital, visit stfrancis-litchfield.org. 

Illinois State Police Troop 8 units are handling a Single Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash on County Line Road and north 22nd Avenue, which is approximately 3 miles west of the Raymond exit in Montgomery County. The crash involves a rolled over concrete truck. The crash investigation is active and no further information is available at this time.

Illinois State Police Troop 8 units are handling a Single Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash on County Line Road and north 22nd Avenue, which is approximately 3 miles west of the Raymond exit in Montgomery County. The crash involves a rolled over concrete truck. The crash investigation is active and no further information is available at this time.

Illinois State Police Troop 8 units are handling a Single Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash on County Line Road and north 22nd Avenue, which is approximately 3 miles west of the Raymond exit in Montgomery County. The crash involves a rolled over concrete truck. The crash investigation is active and no further information is available at this time.

 HSHS St. Francis Hospital is collecting worn and faded American flags through Wednesday, June 12. The collected flags will be disposed of in a proper flag retirement ceremony.

Flag collection boxes are located in the main lobby of HSHS St. Francis Hospital at 1215 Franciscan Dr. in Litchfield, and in the hospital’s cafeteria. For more information, contact Mary Meyer at mary.meyer@hshs.org.

Montgomery County Clerk/Recorder Sandy Leitheiser and staff and Montgomery
County Veterans Assistance Commission Superintendent Cassandra Hampton and staff have received an Award of Merit from the Illinois State Historical Society for their recovery and digitization of a World War II Scrapbook at ceremonies held recently in Springfield.
This award is the result of a project completed when a citizen found a scrapbook in
a dumpster in Springfield that catalogued many Montgomery County World War II
veterans. The citizen donated the scrapbook to the Montgomery County Veterans
Assistance Commission, who provided it to the Montgomery County Clerk/Recorder’s office who properly preserved this treasure by first digitizing the scrapbook, thenindexing the materials, and finally creating a website for the public to access. Illinois Historical Society representatives stated “this was an amazing project that will continue to serve the citizens of Montgomery County for years. This project deserves an award
for the loving rescue of a WWII scrapbook that documents the fate of soldiers in the
Montgomery County area during the war.”
Hampton accepted the award for the offices, and she thanked two members of the
Montgomery County Clerk/Recorder’s Office staff, Sydney Holcomb-Barnes and Nicole Witt, for their dedication in compiling this important digital publication. She stated because of their time and talent, the treasured history of many of our beloved Montgomery County Veterans will live on.
The digitized scrapbook can be found on the Montgomery County website at
www.montgomerycountyil.gov. Those accessing the website should select the County Clerk & Recorder page, then the Recording and Fees section, then the Veterans Medals, Memorial Lists and Publications section and locate the link for “World War II Newspaper Publicati ons for Veterans of Montgomery County and Surrounding  Area.”  Anyone needing assistance locating the publication may contact the County Clerk/Recorders office at 217-532-9530.

World-War-II-Newspaper-Publications-Veterans-of-Montgomery-County-and-Surrounding-Area.pdf (montgomerycountyil.gov)