Mount Prospect plans to buy emergency equipment and trees

Mount Prospect will be getting $100,000 in new trees and flashlights and an outdoor portable message board in preparation for another natural disaster like the one that hit the village last year, village officials said.

The money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which reimbursed the village for $698,000 after the Aug. 23 storm that knocked out power for days in some areas of the village and killed 339 parkway trees.

The village had about $1 million in unexpected expenses due to the storm, said Dave Erb, the village's finance director. Most of the FEMA money will be used to replenish village funds that were drained, while about $100,000 of it will be used to buy equipment and trees, he said.

The bulk of the newly designated FEMA money, about $70,000, will go toward buying new trees, while the rest will be used for lanterns, flashlights for village hall and an outdoor message board for residents, Fire Chief Mike Figolah said.

After the storm, the village did an assessment of its response to the storm, in order to improve in case another major storm hits, he said. Overall, the village did a good job responding to residents' needs, Figolah said.

"In the emergency response, I think we showed very high standards, but as far as communication is concerned, I'd have given us a "C".

One of the unexpected problems was a village hall generator that failed for a few hours. That meant staff was without lights and communication.

Some residents were without electricity, which prevented them from getting information about the storm and what do it in the aftermath, he said.

"In the last storm, we lost the Internet, TV and other electronic means of communication available," Figolah said.

The message board will be critical when communicating with residents since it will not require electricity. It will be powered by solar energy, gas or a generator, he said. The board will be placed along village streets in an emergency. But that won't be its only function. It would also be used to inform residents about upcoming events, such as a July 4 celebration, he said.