After Media Questions, Pritzker Visits Tornado Ravaged Charleston
Gov. Pritzker tours storm damage in Charleston Monday. (Photo: Governor’s office)
Hours after receiving questions from reporters why he hadn’t toured storm damage in Illinois communities ravaged by tornadoes in recent weeks, it appears Governor JB Pritzker made an unannounced stop in one of the impacted communities.
Monday night, Pritzker’s office posted photos on social media as he toured storm damage in Charleston. Charleston sustained considerable damage in a tornado last Wednesday. The stop was not included on his public schedule Monday and media was not alerted to any additions to his schedule.
“[I’ve] made calls and now I’ve been making my way around to the various areas [impacted],” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference Monday. “What I don’t want to do is interfere with the recovery that’s happening in each of those areas. I’ve been careful to talk to local officials about when it is, sort of, clear enough so I’m not disrupting anything that’s ongoing.”
Two people were killed as tornadoes swept through Jefferson County in southern Illinois Sunday. Last week, a tornado reached wind speeds of 145 miles per hour near Effingham, causing considerable damage. Another hit Streator in LaSalle County, causing damage in that community June 12.
Pritzker said stops in Effingham and Jefferson County would likely take “a couple of days.”
One legislative Republican said Monday Pritzker “would already have been there” had the tornadoes hit in the city of Chicago or suburbs. But, sources say, Pritzker is “genuinely” concerned about not causing a distraction in areas where crews are cleaning up.
