The governor has declared a state of emergency at NIU after Thursday’s shootings at Cole Hall.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced in a press release that the declaration will allow funds from the state’s disaster relief fund to go to NIU. This money will reimburse the city and the university for the expenses incurred by the shootings.

“The State of Illinois will provide whatever assistance and support is necessary to university staff and students, and to local officials,” Blagojevich said in the news release.

The governor also activated the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and added several state resources to provide assistance to NIU.

These resources include the state police’s Northern Tactical Response team, State Police and Illinois Department of Resource Officers.

Additionally, specialists from the state’s Department of Human Services are available to assist the university’s mental health professionals.

The governor also sent two mobile command vehicles, one communications trailer and the IEMA’s regional coordinator to the scene.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.