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Emergency Service & Disaster Agency
Staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers, Hillside’s Emergency Service and Disaster Agency provides a variety of services to the Village. These services include those provided in an emergency such as shelter, communications, tornado warnings, radiological monitoring, public information as well as assistance to the Police and Fire Departments as needed. Our ESDA unit also provides non-emergency services by furnishing personnel and equipment to coordinate traffic and crowd control at a variety of civic activities. Be Safe and Aware We have been very fortunate in Hillside to have escaped extremely severe weather, but, from California to North Dakota and Minnesota to Alabama, severe weather in late 2000 and spring of 1999 in the form of blinding snow storms, tornadoes, lightning, floods, damaging winds and hail has caused extensive property damage, injury and death. The following severe weather facts, received from the Illinois Emergency Services Management Agency reveal some frightening statistics. However, the best news on the list is the fact that no fatalities occurred in Illinois in 1997. Credit for this can be given to sophisticated technology of the national/local weather services, their link-up with the news media, the ability to get severe weather info out in a timely fashion and the continuous training of volunteer weather spotters in cooperation with police and fire departments and early warning sirens. Did You Know? ·A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and up to fifty miles long. ·Most tornadoes occur in the spring, but have occurred every month of the year. Most tornadoes produce winds in excess of 100 mph. Some have been measured as high as 250 mph. ·There are an average of 32 reported tornadoes per year in Illinois. In 1997, 33 tornadoes were reported. ·More people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes each year. Twenty-one people have been killed by lightning since 1985 in Illinois. ·Thunderstorms can produce strong winds, lightning, hail, or heavy rain. ·Thunderstorms are most likely to happen in the spring and summer. In Illinois, severe thunderstorms frequently occur in the late afternoon or evening. ·Large hail does extensive damage to property and crops every year. ·Flooding is the number one severe weather killer in Illinois. The most dangerous type of flooding is a flash flood. Flash floods can sweep away everyone and everything in their path. Nationally, 75% of the Presidential disaster declarations are the result of floods. Floods can take several hours to days to develop. Most flash flooding is caused by slow-moving thunderstorms. Become a Member Would you like to become a member of E.S.D.A.? If you are over the age of 18, and want to be of service to your community, meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays in the Public Works Garage, 5141 May Street at 7:00 p.m. We receive training from qualified members within our organization, recognized training manuals, and outside experts in the many fields of service. We are privileged to have many conferences and seminars offered to keep us updated on new techniques and procedures. If interested, call (708) 449-6410, and leave a message for Coordinator Anthony Faragia. ***Remember for emergencies dial 9-1-1*** |
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