Chicago area remains on high alert after attacks

CHICAGO -- Emergency management and law enforcement workers in and around the state say they remain on alert in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Everyone is on a heightened level of alert," Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Christine Tamminga said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has kept its Region 5 center in Chicago open and staffed even on weekends. The center, based in Chicago, serves Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.

In Springfield, the Illinois Emergency Operations Center also remained open. That center is where representatives from all major state agencies as well as the FBI, Red Cross and others coordinate and plan responses to emergencies.

The center on Friday ordered the closure of Clinton Lake in central Illinois to boating, but will allow fishing from the lake's bank. The center also restricted access to the dams at Lake Shelbyville and Rend Lake in that area, while the lakes at Braidwood, La Salle and Heidecke will remain closed until further notice. The lakes are all part of nuclear power plant operations.

"These are precautionary measures, there have been no identified threats," an announcement about the closure by the Department of Natural Resources said.

Other precautions across the state include Illinois Department of Transportation workers checking bridges and Illinois State Police paying closer attention to drivers and what might be in their vehicles. There are no extra troopers on the streets, however.