Illinois Federal Disaster Assistance Tops $51 Million
Release Date: November 21, 2008
Release Number: 1800-038
» More Information on Illinois Severe Storms and Flooding
CHICAGO, Ill. -- More than $51 million in federal disaster assistance has been approved to help the residents of Illinois recover from storms and flooding in September, according to officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
To help individuals, families and businesses recover from the disaster, 24,891 people in nine counties have been approved to receive $51,027,877 in federal funding.
"FEMA's mission is to help the state of Illinois help its citizens," said Federal Coordinating Officer Libby Turner, the official leading the federal response. "So that residents affected by the disaster have more time to work on their recovery, the federal government extended the deadline to register for disaster assistance until Dec. 16. It is an easy process, and I encourage people to register now."
Renters, homeowners and businesses in Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle, Peoria, Will and Woodford counties can register for assistance or check on the status of their application by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 800-462-7585 or online at www.fema.gov.
SBA reminds renters, homeowners and businesses to complete and return their low-interest loan application. For information about low-interest disaster assistance loans from the SBA, call 800-659-2955 or go online to www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.
More counties were added this week to FEMA's Public Assistance Program. Now, government entities and certain private non-profit agencies in 13 counties can apply for Public Assistance. These funds are for eligible emergency services, repair or replacement of facilities and infrastructure damaged by September's flooding. Counties that can submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) include Bureau, Cass, Cook, DuPage, Greene, Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle, Macoupin, Montgomery, Scott, Will and Woodford.
The following is a summary of recovery efforts as of the close of business, Thursday, Nov. 20:
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$38,926,217 has been approved for disaster housing assistance to help with temporary housing and home repairs while people rebuild or restore their damaged homes or to help renters whose rental units were damaged. $4,610,757 has been approved for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical expenses, transportation or replacing lost personal property.
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$7,490,900 has been approved by the SBA in disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses, composed of 217 loans to homeowners and renters and eight loans to businesses. SBA's low-interest disaster loans are the primary form of federal assistance for the long-term recovery of renters, homeowners and businesses of all sizes.
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40,190 individuals and households have registered with FEMA for federal disaster assistance.
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30,535 individuals and businesses have been issued SBA disaster assistance loan applications.
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37,526 properties have been visited by FEMA-contracted inspectors to document storm and flood damage.
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24,666 individuals and households have been approved for housing assistance and other needs assistance.
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6,875 residents, 871 faith-based organizations, 2,503 businesses, 188 community organizations and 746 voluntary agencies have been visited by FEMA Community Relations (CR) Specialtists. CR continues to meet with local government administrators, elected officials and emergency managers.
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3,853 people have visited Disaster Recovery Centers to talk face-to-face with recovery specialists, get help with their SBA disaster loan application, check on the status of their applications and learn about other programs for which they may be eligible.
- 174 state agencies, local governments and private nonprofits have submitted Requests for Public Assistance.
The following is a county-by-county breakdown of assistance approved for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (excluding SBA disaster loan data) as of close of business Thursday, Nov. 19.
| County | Households Approved | Amount Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 19,265 | $38,248,680.40 |
| DeKalb | 129 | $406,829.11 |
| DuPage | 658 | $1,882,419.00 |
| Grundy | 60 | $212,092.32 |
| Kane | 271 | $762,206.17 |
| La Salle | 144 | $802,066.11 |
| Peoria | 59 | $167,735.34 |
| Will | 471 | $869,298.48 |
| Woodford | 69 | $185,648.00 |
| Totals | 21,126 | $43,536,975 |
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Monday, 24-Nov-2008 09:15:27