Salem is now playing a key role to disaster response and recovery across Southern Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Emergency Management Agency Public Information Officer Kevin Sur has confirmed they have purchased a warehouse building at 327 South Hotze Road in the West Side Salem Industrial Park where supplies for disaster response will be stored.
“It’s really just one of three IEMA warehouses strategically placed across the state of Illinois to support our local, counties, and other state agencies. With the constant threat of earthquakes, regular flooding, severe weather, hazardous material…IEMA supplies staff and of course a footprint of this warehouse will better meet the needs of the community in any emergency.”
Sur says Salem was selected to house the supply building because of its location on I-57 and halfway across the state between Missouri and Indiana. He reports several IEMA employees will work out of the building as they travel across the Southern Part of Illinois in disaster preparation and response.
The purchase of the building was completed on January 4th of this year. Marion County property records indicate the sales price was $1.3-million. The building is 100 by 200 feet with a total of 20,000 square feet.
