(Pictured are Mickie Ehrhardt, Jessica Elsia, Bill O'Connell with two members from public works in Fulton County. Picture # 2 is Jeremy Brozio and Tom Baldock).
The Christian County Damage Assessment Team was deployed to Fulton County to survey the town of London Mills and Bernadotte, both of which sustained damaged homes from the recent flooding.
Six members of the team deployed under mutual aid agreements designed to assist another county during a disaster. The Christian County Damage Assessment Team works under the Christian County Emergency Management Agency. Team members who deployed were Mickie Ehrhardt, Jessica Elsia, Tom Baldock, Bill O'Connell, Jeremy Brozio and Mike Crews.
"This was the first deployment of our team and they did a fantastic job working their way through both of these communities. The team initially met with Fulton County EMA Manager Chris Helle and his command staff to establish our search areas and gain an understanding of the topography and safety issues. Once they had boots on the ground, the Christian Team divided into three groups walking each street gathering information on structural damage, flood insurance and water levels inside of homes. This information is crucial to assist Fulton County in receiving a Presidential Disaster Declaration.
Upon returning to the command post, we determined 44 homes were eligible under the FEMA criteria, the same number of homes determined by a seasoned team from the American Red Cross. The fact both teams numbers matched exactly, was a testament to the keen eyes our assessment team had to detail. Our folks showed great compassion to many of the residents listening to their stories of loss. Providing that sympathetic ear was an important part of this deployment. I couldnt be happier with the job they performed.- Mike Crews, Christian County Emergency Manager.
The towns that were surveyed suffered losses from water over-topping the levess along the Spoon River in Fulton County. Fulton County has been declared a State of Illinois Disaster area by Governor Quinn.
