On Tuesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation for all of Illinois in response to the winter storm that has blanketed the state with life-threatening wind chills, power outages, and accumulating snow.
Gov. Pritzker said that as of around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, around 7,000 Illinois households were without power, with that number expected to fluctuate as the strain of arctic temperatures and extreme weather continues.
“I have directed my administration to use all resources at our disposal to keep our communities safe amid dangerous and ongoing winter weather,” said Gov. Pritzker. “We are in communication with local governments to ensure they have the support they need in disaster response and recovery operations. We are also working with our federal partners to pursue federal assistance to help communities recover and to do what we can to protect ratepayers from soaring utility bills. I urge all Illinoisans to take this extreme weather seriously, avoid all unnecessary travel and check in on your neighbors.”
The governor is encouraging all Illinoisans to take energy-conserving measures to reduce stress on the nation's grid.
Energy conservation tips include:
- Stay indoors in a heated room as much as possible
- If you have no heat, close doors and vents in unused rooms and shut the doors
- Turn down your home’s thermostat just a few degrees and bundle up with layers or a thick blanket
- Lower the temperature on your home water heater a few degrees
- Avoid using large appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, or dryers
- Reverse your ceiling fan to turn clockwise, producing an updraft that will move the warm air that collects near your ceiling down to the rest of the room
- If using alternative heat from a fireplace, wood stove, space heater, etc., use safeguards and ensure proper ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning
Over the course of the next few days, Gov. Pritzker is also encouraging all Illinoisans to check on their neighbors, especially elderly neighbors who may need assistance.
You can view the disaster proclamation issued by Pritzker on Tuesday below:
