MILAN, Illinois — QCOMM, the emergency communications center for the majority of towns in Rock Island County, was flooded with calls during the severe weather outbreak on Tuesday, April 4.
According to QCOMM director Terry McMaster, the dispatch center received a total of 161 incoming calls between the hours of 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
87 of those calls were dialed directly into 9-1-1, while 74 were classified as administrative calls, coming into the non-emergency or business lines.
QCOMM averages about 20 calls per hour, so the more than 160 calls were eight times their normal call load.
QCOMM handles the emergency calls coming into the Moline, East Moline, Milan, Silvis, Hampton, Carbon Cliff and Barstow.
Some entities have phone lines that are answered by their emergency telecommunicators, while the non-emergency phone line may be answered by clerical or administrative staff.
That's not the case at QCOMM, according to McMaster. Whether a person calls 9-1-1 or a non-emergency number, the call into QCOMM will be answered by a telecommunicator, thus tying up that person to dispatch the call.
Rock Island Police took the opportunity to put out a reminder to the public to use their designated non-emergency line for situations where there is not immediate danger or threat to life or health.
The department reported to a total of 105 calls came in during the same time frame of 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. 66 calls were made to 9-1-1, and 39 were made to their administrative lines during the storms.
Rock Island residents are asked to call 309-732-COPS (2677) if there is no immediate threat. In this case, that includes situations like downed trees or limbs hitting parked cars.
Rock Island Public Works can also be contacted at 309-732-2200. The city designated the first 24 hours to opening roads, followed by cleanup efforts.
Rock Island Fire Chief Robert Graff said the fire department responded to multiple incidents due to storm damage, including uprooted trees that damaged natural gas lines.
“There have been multiple incidents of trees blown over in yards, on homes, and into the streets,” Graff said. “Citizens are advised to contact the Public Works Department about trees that are blocking roadways. If power lines are present, residents are asked to contact MidAmerican (Energy). As they are responding to multiple calls, delays should be anticipated."
“All power lines should be treated as if they are energized and not be moved or touched. If a resident believes that they have a natural gas leak, they should leave their home and call 911," Graff said.
Non-emergency lines for Rock Island County (Illinois):
Rock Island: 309-732-2677
Moline: 309-797-0401
East Moline: 309-752-1555
Silvis: 309-792-1841
Milan: 309-787-8520
Coal Valley: 309-799-5416
Port Byron: 309-523-2230
Non-emergency lines for Scott County (Iowa):
Davenport: 563-326-7979
Bettendorf: 563-344-4015
Eldridge: 563-285-3916
LeClaire: 563-289-4242 ext. 1
Blue Grass: 563-381-1485
Buffalo: 563-381-4733
Walcott: 563-284-6672
Watch more severe weather coverage on News 8's YouTube channel