Tornado victims benefit lunch/dinner:
Sunday, March 19 from 1-5pm at the Knights of Columbus in Ottawa. $5 at the door.
Need clean-up assistance?:
Call 1-800-451-1954. This is the Ottawa/Naplate resident assistance hotline.
Salvation Army accepting donations:
The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services is accepting relief donations on behalf of the Ottawa/Naplate Recovery Assistance Effort at 2901 Columbus Rd. (The OLD Wal-Mart store) in Ottawa, IL.
Anyone wanting to donate items following the tornado must call 1-815-433–0798 and receive an authorization number before any donations will be accepted.
Please call before purchasing any items so that we may coordinate with the relief effort on what items are needed most urgently. Please pass this information along by liking and sharing with others.
The Starved Rock Country Community Foundation is accepting cash donations to assist with disaster relief from the February 28, 2017 tornado and related storms. Please visit their website at http://srccf.org/donate/disaster-relief-fund/ . They can also call 815-252-2906.
The Ottawa Church of Christ will be distributing free items to those affected by the tornado: food for a family of four for one week; cleaning supplies, etc. at 1782 Gentlemen Road, Ottawa.
Naplate residents:
There is no burning allowed in the village.
Ottawa tornado victims, IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
The City of Ottawa is coordinating disaster cleanup following Tuesday’s devastating tornado. Please carefully review the following information to help the restoration process proceed as smoothly as possible.
When cleaning up your property, items need to be sorted and placed on the berm, not in the street. This will make removal much faster and easier. Please use the guidelines shown below.
After the power lines and trees are cleared from the street, dumpsters will be placed throughout the affected areas for use by the residents.
The majority of power lines have or will be cleared in the very near future. If you see a downed power line, please be cautious. Except for the Hitt Street area, we expect power to be restored by late afternoon today.
All contractors are required to register at Ottawa City Hall. Door-to-door solicitation by contractors is limited to 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. only.
Please note that just because a contractor is registered with the city does not insure quality work. If you are dealing with a contractor you are unfamiliar with please read the attached Home Repair brochure form the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
With the prediction of below freezing temperatures tonight, residents without heat are encouraged to leave a faucet running (trickle) to avoid pipes freezing. The City would prefer to make adjustments for running water to prevent frozen lines than to have customers inconvenienced with frozen/broken water lines, which could prove to be very costly.
Building permits are required prior to any repair or restoration work involving structural, electrical or plumbing work. All permits fees will be waived for disaster related work. Extra personnel will be assisting our building official to accommodate the demand. Please understand the purpose of the permit is to insure work is done in a safe and proper manner.
Please note permits are not required for such things as:
• Replacing shingles
• Replacing siding
• Replacing broken windows
Building permit applications are available online at www.cityofottawa.org.
While not a priority now, permits are also required for fences except for minor repairs to existing fences. The fence permit fee will also be waived.
It is possible disaster related expenses incurred by residents may eventually be reimbursed if State or Federal funds become available. It is important that all damages be photographed and detailed receipts and records of payments be maintained.