6 southern Illinois counties declared disaster areas

SPRINGFIELD -- Six southeastern Illinois counties have been declared state disaster areas, giving them access to state resources in response and recovery efforts.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has deemed Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Jasper and Lawrence counties as disaster areas.

Levee breaks Tuesday flooded portions of Lawrence County near Lawrenceville, inundating a campsite and forcing the evacuations of roughly 200 homes.

The state has personnel and assets that can be mobilized to help local governments with disaster recovery. That includes such things as trucks, heavy equipment and work crews to speed debris removal and assistance with security and other public safety issues.