The Streator City Council approved an emergency declaration Wednesday night as officials detailed the growing scope of damage and ongoing recovery efforts following last week’s EF3 tornado.

The emergency declaration allows the city to continue coordinating recovery efforts and may help support future disaster assistance and reimbursement efforts.

Before the declaration was unanimously approved, Streator Fire Chief Bryan Park and City Manager Yates McLaughlin gave a presentation to council, outlining what aspects of recovery have been successful along with what comes next.

Park said the city received a tornado warning around 5:20 p.m. June 11 and activated outdoor warning sirens roughly 10 to 12 times, giving residents about 30 minutes to find shelter before the tornado entered the south side of the city around 5:52 p.m.

The tornado then moved through 12th Street, Saratoga and Sunbury areas before continuing north and east toward Airport Road.

Park said first responders quickly launched rescue and search operations after 911 calls poured in regarding trapped residents and injuries. Streator fire and police, along with multiple other local departments and agencies, were among those who assisted the efforts.

Park said four people were initially taken to the hospital by ambulance from tornado-related injuries, while three additional residents took themselves to the hospital. Fortunately, all seven injuries were minor.

Both leaders emphasized debris removal and utility restoration remain as top priorities, as McLaughlin said roughly 80% of debris already cleared from impacted areas.

Nicor Gas reported 39 homes currently have services cut off, with 10 already restored, while Park noted crews are still waiting on formal cut-off letters required to process demolition permits for severely damaged structures.

“The gas leaks were stopped very quickly, I think all within the evening,” Park said, adding that shutoffs were necessary in the hardest hit areas before debris was cleared.

ComEd reported 84 total customers currently without service locally, while 3,000 customers have already been restored.

McLaughlin also noted the process has been a national effort, as crews were brought in from as far as Colorado.

After the presentation, council made sure to thank everyone involved with the quick emergency response, collectively saying that each department acted urgently and how fortunate it was that there were no deaths or serious injuries.

“I was here Thursday night at the Emergency Operations Center and got to observe, and I was really impressed with our management team,” Councilman David Reed said. “I left here that night convinced we had the right people in the right place at the right time.”

Notably, most of the city’s leadership has just recently stepped into their respective roles, as both McLaughlin and Park started the job less than a month ago.

Also, Streator’s fire department leadership stepped into new roles just days before the incident, as Ed Levy and Ian Rogers were officially promoted on Monday, June 8.

Looking ahead, the city will continue using City Hall as its Emergency Operations Center as officials work to help those affected get back on their feet.

“This is not something that’s going to be resolved in a week or two,” Park said. “This is going to take months and months to get everybody settled and back where they need to be.”