President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Illinois Monday after devastating tornadoes swept through the state Dec. 10, killing six people in Illinois and dozens more along the tornado’s devastating route.
The declaration authorizes the release of federal aid, which will be used in tandem with assistance from local and state authorities to help mitigate damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is expected to coordinate disaster relief efforts in 13 southern Illinois counties. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided, with 75% of the funds coming from the federal government.
Six people in Illinois, who had been inside an Amazon warehouse, died after the fierce winds whipped through southwestern Illinois, collapsing a portion of the building. Officials in Edwardsville, a town of roughly 27,000 people about 25 miles northeast of St. Louis, continued to clean up rubble and debris Monday at the sprawling, 1.1 million-square-foot Amazon facility.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also confirmed Monday it will be conducting an investigation into the facility’s collapse. The same day, Amazon executives defended the safety procedures at the warehouse, saying they followed all appropriate safety measures for the 46 employees who had been inside the building when the storm hit.
There was even more loss of life and tornado damage in neighboring Kentucky, where it was estimated at least 74 people died during the storms that hit Friday into Saturday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.
Biden is expected to visit the state Wednesday to survey the damage.
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