HR0393 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0393 LRB097 12021 KXB 55712 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In April and May 2011, many communities in southern Illinois were impacted by historic flooding of the Ohio River and other rivers, streams, lakes, and waterways; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) launched into action and responded to the call to save lives and protect communities across southern Illinois from the unprecedented flooding; along with scores of boats, trucks, and ATVs, IDNR committed over 200 staff persons to assist in the State's response; and

WHEREAS, More than 30 members of IDNR's Office of Resource Conservation, Scott Bartell, Rob Bartlett, Chris Bickers, Doug Carney, Ken Clodfelter, Kurt Daine, Bill Ernest, Les Frankland, Mike Garthaus, Nate Goetten, Wayne Herndon, Rob Hilsabeck, Jana Hirst, Shawn Hirst, Mike Hooe, Frank Jakubicek, Steve Jenkins, Gary Lutterbie, Jim Mick, Barry Newman, Steve Pallo, Jeff Pontnack, Dan Sallee, Randy Sauer, Mack Sitzes, Dan Stephenson, Mike Warnick, Andy Plauck, Randy Petges, Whitney Schlueter, and Lisa Bulinski participated in the State's flood response operations; and

WHEREAS, Over 50 conservation police officers from IDNR's Office of Law Enforcement, Director Rafael Gutierrez, Captain Joe Morelock, Captain Tim Daiber, Captain Jerry Hiller, Lieutenant Jay Danner, Lieutenant Eric Bumgarner, Sergeant Jason Sherman, Sergeant Hank Frazier, Sergeant Tony Rendleman and Conservation Police Officers Brandon Barnes, Steven Beltran, William Bergland, Kevin Bettis, Philip Boston, Dallas Bowman, Steven Bruce, Jeffrey Cariens, Eric Charles, Robert Compton, Brian Cork, William Cottrell, Kurt Defenbaugh, Charles Diggins, Steven Drone, Marc Folden, Joshua Geltz, Daniel Greuel, Douglas Heusner, David Holland, David Hyatt, Steven Jourdan, Timothy Lay, Daniel Lewis, Robert Liebl, Debbie Mansell, Ray Maul, Chris Mohrman, Jason Moody, Michael Phillips, Richard Riedel, Eric Rollins, Gregory Rowe, Daniel Sandman, Don Schachner, Eric Schreiber, Ralph Sievers, Steven Swance, Dustin Taylor, Kristin Taylor, Heath Tepovich, Donn Thetford, Mike Thompson, Steven Vasicek, Dale Warren, Greg Weishaupt, Karl Wheatley, William Wichern, Raymond Wichus, Troy Williams, John Williamson, Chris Winters, and Douglas Zulauf provided emergency response to victims of the flood; and

WHEREAS, Conservation Police Officers and the Office of Resource Conservation's Division of Fisheries provided on-the-water security and welfare checks to flooded homes and possible occupants; delivered food, water and medical supplies to citizens; evacuated over 700 residents and their pets; secured more than 500 pieces of large floating debris that could be a safety hazard; monitored low-hanging power lines supplying electricity to a water treatment facility; delivered feed to isolated agricultural facilities to prevent starvation of livestock; coordinated emergency response assets with State, federal, county, and municipal agencies; transported sand bags; conducted over 500 levee inspections; and protected residents, first responders, and property by immediately responding to levee failures; and

WHEREAS, IDNR's Office of Land Management, William Johnson, Jim Waycuilis, Gary Manley, Keith Spivey, Ronnie Flynn, Randy Tucker, Chuck Hughes, Frank Hileman, Bill Reynolds, Mark Anderson, Jason Tanner, Joe Nelson, Chris McGinness, Ron Coram, Jay Massie, Debra Lewis, John Owens, Bob Martin, Bob Gross, Micheal Cralley, Chris Treece, Michael Lewis, Tim Smith, Joey Thurston, Jeff Durham, David Beasley, Jeff Scherer, Dolly Ruiz, David Tucker, David Gearing, Alex Washam, Mike Dietz, James Carter, Chris McGinness, Larry Sommer, James Lang, Kenneth Heern, Pat Conley, Ignatius Campanella, Kaleb Miller, Todd Carns, Dave Miller, Brent Chestnut, Cha Hill, Shawn Chesnek, Heath Bastien, Jim Kiehn, Zach Elliet, Mike Brand, Eric Nording, Tim Pryor, Jerry Landolt, John Lay, Richard Daugherty, Carl Aten, Leslie West, Larry Loudermilk, James Akers, Jason Newell, Rod Bennett, Tom Owens, Dan Harmon, John Pankey, Eric McClusky, Dennis Massie, Dan Dare, Larry Ward, Bob Easley, Jim Gillespie, Scott Fritschle, Glenn Wegener, Greg Branch, Theresa Kreke, Duane Snow, John Irvin, Remington Irwin, Jim Eaton, Neil Coleman, Sue Nawojski-Toler, Steve Graves, Sam Richardson, Bill Douglass, Doug Allen, Mark Clary, Rocky Smith, Dylan Kirk, Ralph Hamilton, Walt Garrison, Jim Bechtel, Jerry Bell, Riley Blair, David Young, Greg Conner, Richard Rice, Troy Potts, Chad Hille, Ron House, Nick Dolce, and Mitch Ingold secured homes, businesses, levees, state parks, and critical infrastructures by filling and hauling sandbags; monitored and repaired levees; assisted residents with evacuations; replaced critical culverts; and coordinated flood response efforts with federal, State, county, and local officials; and

WHEREAS, IDNR's Office of Water Resources, Arlan Juhl, Ted Montrey, Jerry Bishoff, Lee Woodward, David Mick, Mike Steskal, Paul Schmidt, Brad Hoene, Bill Carrino, Loren Wobig, Brad Winters, Wes Cattoor, Bill Milner, Rita Lee, Rick Gosch, and Robin Church coordinated with State and federal agencies on a daily basis regarding impacts to communities and facilities from current and projected flood stages, information that was essential to understanding the risks to lives and critical infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, This information involved flood inundation maps showing the aerial extent of current and forecasted flooding; maps and tables identifying the amount of freeboard available at leveed areas and non-leveed communities; identification of potential areas of concern resulting from sand boils, levee slumps, excessive interior seepage and other potential levee or floodwall failures; and identification of actual levee failures or overtopping of levees; and

WHEREAS, 'Additionally, the Office of Water Resources used field personnel and other technical contacts to back-check and confirm field reports provided to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency; set highwater marks at various locations that will be used in post-flood evaluations; and provided technical assistance to IDNR legal staff regarding activation of the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway in Missouri; and

WHEREAS, IDNR's Office of Legal Services participated in the State's emergency response efforts on behalf of IDNR and coordinated with the Governor's Office regarding IDNR's flood emergency statutory authority; Chief Legal Counsel Mitchell Cohen and Staff Attorney Robert Mool also assisted the Illinois Attorney General's Office in responding to a series of legal actions by Missouri regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' activation of the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway; with IDNR's legal and technical services, Illinois and the Army Corps of Engineers ultimately prevailed in federal court and the floodway was activated, reducing the flood threat facing many Illinois communities; and

WHEREAS, IDNR Deputy Director Travis Loyd was on the ground in southern Illinois, helping to coordinate IDNR's emergency response operations with local communities impacted by the flooding; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express our gratitude to the dedicated professionals of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for their tireless efforts to protect Illinois' people and communities during the historic Spring 2011 flooding in southern Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller as a symbol of our respect and esteem for the indispensable work of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.