Lemont was struck by a tornado on March 27, 1990, at 4: 00 p.m. The storm caused damage to 300 homes, apartments and buildings with an estimated damage of $15 million. Lemont's recovery started within minutes of the storm by the activation of the South Suburban Park and Recreation Association's Emergency Assistance Plan.

The morning following the storm, hundreds of volunteers came to the assistance of Lemont residents. One of the most recognized groups was the Park District maintenance crews. This group, made up of maintenance crews from 16 park districts, reported to the Lemont Park District maintenance supervisor to be dispatched where needed. These districts sent more than 40 professionals and a fleet of trucks, saws, chippers, front-end loaders and other equipment.

"The park district people set the pace for the clean-up crews throughout the community. It was a chore to keep up with them. They knew exactly what to do and how to get it done in the shortest amount of time. They provided the leadership for others to follow," said a policeman with the Lemont Police Department.

The Village Public Works Director Jim Don-is said, "Those park people are worth their weight in gold. They provided the backbone of the experienced labor force we needed to get the streets opened and the residential homes cleared for safety."

Several residents have commented on the positive performance by all of the park district staff and their equipment. Lemont Park District Director Robert A. Porter said, "I am proud to be associated with the park professionals that came to assist our community following the tornado. They came and did an outstanding job. They made us all proud to work for a park district." Park commissioners from Lemont have heard nothing but praise for the many park districts that sent crews to Lemont.

Community involvement, community responsibility and community preservation are all hallmarks and cornerstones of any recreation agency credo. Respect for and participation in the community is, after all, how park district personnel justify their existence. With this in mind, the South Suburban Parks and Recreation Professional Association conceived, developed and implemented the South Suburban Disaster Assistance Committee

Illinois Parks and Recreation- 31 -September/October 1991

Looking at the recreation community in Illinois as a whole, one can view it as an independent, fully developed organism. It breathes life and vitality into all of its actions. Members share common values, rules, traditions, ethics and language. There is inherent in the composition, and an assumption of responsibility for the well-being of all communities.

Much like any organism, basic needs and principles must be addressed and fulfilled. Common among these is the sense of compassion and desire felt by park and recreation professionals to render assistance to their neighbors. When tragedy strikes, they rally to the aid of fellow recreation agencies and the communities they serve. This basic drive is channeled into a structured and collective response by SSDAC.

SSDAC was developed to meet two basic goals. The first is to provide physical assistance for clean-up efforts by providing vehicles, tools and experienced maintenance staff. The second goal is to provide a recreational component formatted like a drop-off day camp. A place where parents can leave their children in a safe, controlled environment as one or both parents engage in their clean-up or insurance-related activities. Additionally, senior programming would be offered as well as family-related events.

The purpose of the South Suburban Disaster Assistance Committee is simple. Staying within the parameters of what they do best, what they are trained to do, to provide an atmosphere of normalcy amidst the turmoil of devastation. The Committee plan builds on the existing trust and positive community recognition already enjoyed by the host recreation agency.

In both the maintenance and recreation initiatives, the Committee provides a comprehensive and sustained effort, SSDAC does not require all of its members to respond immediately, but rather to schedule assistance over an extended period of time up to two weeks after a disaster if necessary. It is the desire of the Committee to offer on-site Emergency Services Disaster Agency (ESDA) officials an instrument they can utilize and accurately plan on. A two-week time table was established in the belief that the host agency would be able to resume its services and programming independently at the conclusion of the relief effort. By providing both maintenance and recreation help, the host agency can be given some breathing space to plan for future delivery of services.

Maintenance workers from surrounding park districts who are members of the South Suburban Disaster Assistance crew clear debris from a residential area in Lemont following a tornado that destroyed the village.

SSDAC is broken down into six regions into which the 54 member agencies of South Suburban were placed. Proximity to neighboring districts was used as the gerrymandering tool for regional selection. Placement in a specific region does not mean, however, that a respective agency is limited to responding to only those within its region. Quite to the contrary, if and when a disasterstrikes, member districts in each region will be contacted and scheduled throughout the determined assistance period to render either maintenance or recreation aid. The regional composition of SSDAC with one coordinator from each region serving on the Committee allows it to centralize information and scheduling.

Each regional coordinator is responsible for collecting all pertinent information for their region and making it available to the SSDAC chairman. This information would include the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of each contact person, each ESDA representative for each region and their respective community. They are also responsible for incorporating a statement of compliance from each regional member that they have incorporated the SSDAC Plan into their safety manuals and community ESDA plans, and a listing of all media outlets in their region and communities they serve. It is also the function of a regional coordinator to schedule an annual disaster drill. This helps keep the SSDAC plan current, efficient and effective and ready to be implemented when necessary.

Finally, the SSDAC model adopted by the South Suburban Park and Recreation Professional Association (SSPRPA) allows for centralizing communication between an affected disaster area and responding agencies. Often, lines of communication are disrupted in a disaster. Responding agencies often become frustrated when they can't get through and ESDA phone lines become jammed with well-intentioned callers. SSDAC allows for the affected host agency to call instantly after a disaster to activate the system and deliver necessary information on the quantity and nature if help is needed.

At the conclusion of a relief effort, the SSDAC will meet and prepare a report for the Executive Board of the SSPRPA detailing and evaluating the aid rendered and recommendations for future improvements to SSDAC responses. As stated earlier, the SSDAC system is a vibrant organism capable of change, adaptation and growth. With each incident or regional drill SSPRPA becomes better prepared, more easily mobilized and ultimately, more effective.

What South Suburban has hopefully created is a plan that never has to be utilized for a real emergency. SSDAC provides agencies the ability to act in a crisis, not react.

About the Author:
Brian J. Sullivan is Director of Recreation for the Lemont Township Park District. Others who contributed to this article include James R. Sharp, Matteson Parks and Recreation Department; Robert A. Porter, Lemont Park District; and Max L. Woods, Lockport Township Park District.

Illinois Parks and Recreation- 32 -September/October 1991