Oregon Coliseum to open for those seeking shelter from storm

Oregon city officials have been busy planning for severe weather and have opened a downtown city building for those who need to seek shelter.

“In consideration of the potential severe weather that is being forecasted the City of Oregon will be opening access to the basement of the Oregon Coliseum 124 North 4th Street (at the corner of North 4th and Franklin Streets) as an emergency shelter as of 2 p.m. today. Access to the basement will be through the north door off Franklin Street,” Darin DeHaan, city administrator said on Friday.

DeHaan said police officers will be monitoring the basement for any needs that may arise.

“We are hopeful that the storms do not develop but we want to be prepared to assist citizens who may have a need for a lower-level shelter during this weather event,” DeHaan said.

Oregon Mayor Ken Willams said city workers were ready to respond in the event of storm damage

“Public Works has personnel and equipment ready to respond and police are on standby for call in if needed. ComEd notified us they have equipment staged throughout the region for emergency repairs.],” Williams said.

The National Weather Service has included Ogle County and surrounding counties as areas for potentially severe weather starting later this afternoon.