Being prepared for natural disaster means having your own food, water and other supplies.  To find a list of basic disaster supplies, visit ready.illinois.gov.

STATE

EMA says emergency preparedness starts at home

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is encouraging people to stay aware of local forecasts and be prepared to act quickly if weather warnings are issued.

“The first line of defense against any emergency or hazard is personal preparedness,” said Acting IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau.  “Take this time now to prepare your family for severe weather.  Personal preparedness lessens the impact on families, workplaces and our communities.”

Follow these four steps to better prepare you family for severe weather:

1.  Ensure each member of your family can receive emergency alerts and notifications.

In this day and age of families on the go, it is critical that you have multiple ways to receive notifications and updated information about severe weather.   Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are available on most smartphones. Check your phone’s notification settings under ‘Government Alerts’ to ensure ‘Emergency Alerts’ is turned on. With a WEA-enabled phone, you will receive tornado and flash flood warnings issued for your location, even if you’re traveling outside your home county or state.

FEMA offers a FREE mobile app that provides fast and reliable weather alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS).  The app can be tailored to offer alerts for up to five different locations nationwide.  The mobile app can also help you locate open shelters and disaster resource centers near you in the event of an emergency.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather alert radios can be programmed to issue a tone alarm and provide information about a warning that has been issued for your county. The tone alarm provides a 24/7 alert to approaching hazards, even during the overnight hours when many people are sleeping.

2. Identify your shelter location at home, work and school

If a tornado warning is issued for your area, seek shelter immediately, preferably in a basement underneath the stairs or a sturdy piece of furniture. If there is no basement, go to an interior hallway or a small interior room without windows, get under sturdy furniture and use pillows or cushions to protect your head and neck.

3. Develop and practice a family communication plan

Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes.  Know how you will contact one another and reconnect if separated during a storm or other emergency.  Remember, during a disaster, phone lines may be overwhelmed by emergency calls.  To let loved ones know you are safe, consider a check-in on social media or send a text.

4. Review your emergency supply kit

Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for work, home and your vehicle.  Remember to consider the needs of all your family members, including your pets. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies.  To find a list of basic disaster supplies, visit ready.illinois.gov.

For more information about what to do before, during and after a storm, please visit www.Ready.Illinois.gov.   There you will find a Severe Weather Preparedness Guide, developed by IEMA and NWS, which provides tips on how to prepare for all weather emergencies.  Additional tips and information are available on the Ready Illinois Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ReadyIllinois) and Twitter page (www.twitter.com/ReadyIllinois).

 REGIONAL

 Civic Chorale presents spring concert series

The Peoria Area Civic Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Joseph D. Henry and with featured soloist Dimitri German, will present its spring concert series A Little Night Music on Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Five Points Washington.

The Peoria Area Civic Chorale will present its spring concert series A Little Night Music Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 at Five Points Washington. (Photo courtesy of Peoria Area Civic Chorale)

The concert will feature a wide variety of songs centered around the elements of the night such as “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” “It’s a Grand Night for Singing” from “State Fair,” “Tonight” from “West Side Story.” Also included will be  “I Could Have Danced All Night” from “My Fair Lady,” Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” Cole Porter’s “In the Still of the Night,” Hoagy Carmichael’s “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” and “The Nearness of You.”

Brahm’s “Der Abend (Evening),” and popular favorites such as “Dream a Little Dream of Me” and “Mr. Sandman”  are also on the program.

The Peoria Area Civic Chorale Youth Chorus will perform a set nightly and will join the adult singers for “Buffalo Gals.” The audience will also be invited to join in a sing-along at the concert’s end.

The chorale continues its efforts to feature “homegrown” central Illinois talent with special guest Dimitri German. German, a 2009 graduate of Peoria’s Richwoods High School, is now a Chicago-based baritone with a bachelor of music in vocal performance from the Moody Bible Institute and a graduate degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.

Special to Friday night’s performance will be a festival chorus of 60 children from local community schools and a cake reception sponsored by Bob Lindsay Honda and Acura.

Tickets for A Little Night Music are $20 for adults, with students through college at $8 and are available at 309-693-6725, online at www.peoriacivicchorale.org or at the door. The concert is sponsored by CEFCU, Parsons Manufacturing, Heights Finance and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

EUREKA

The city will conduct brush pick up May 6

Residents will need to stack brush parallel with the curb, but not in the street. Limbs must be manageable by our forklift. Limbs must not exceed 8 inches in diameter or 10 feet in length.

Do not stack materials behind parked vehicles or on or around any water shut-off, power pole, guide wire, tree, sign post, mail box etc.

Brush and twigs less than 24-inches long must be boxed, tied in bundles, or in paper bags. No materials in plastic bags will be picked up.

Work crews begin at 7 a.m. and continue until they have made one trip down each street. Employees will not return to pick up items after they have made the initial pass.

 Library offers homework help, exploring Illinois program

Brian Boggs of Eureka is offering free tutoring and homework help for high school and middle school students in the subjects of math, science, history, and English composition at the Eureka Public Library, 202 S. Main.

Tutoring services will be available on Tuesday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. when Community Unit District 140 is in session from 5 to 7 p.m. Remaining dates for the school year are May 7, 14, and 21. Walk-ins are welcome, but priority will be given to students who make appointments for a 30-minute tutoring session.

Parents and families are welcome to sit in on the session. Contact the library at 309-467-2922 to register for an appointment. For more information on the tutoring service, contact Brian Boggs at homeworkhelp@mediacombb.net.

Eureka Public Library District card holders are now able to reserve discounts at participating Illinois cultural attractions through the free, online Explore More Illinois service. Use Explore More Illinois to find fun and educational places to go on a free afternoon or for a little getaway.

To access Explore More, visit the Eureka Public Library website at www.eurekapl.org. Click on the Explore More link, select Eureka Public Library, and enter your library card number and four-digit PIN.

Scroll through the list of participating cultural attractions, make your reservations, and print or download your discount. Some of the participating attractions include Peoria Riverfront Museum, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Chicago’s Children Museum, Discovery Center Museum, and more.

Check back frequently as attractions are being continually added. For more information, contact the library at 309-467-2922.