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I'd be interested to know how many of the folks in southern Illinois are advocates for further reducing government assistance to low-income families, those with functional needs, and others in our society who find themselves disenfranchised because of any number of factors. Over and over again we see politicians and their constituents who demand federal intervention for disaster assistance when their stance on other type of aid is "I've got mine, go get your own." If one demands that the low income take care of themselves, why not homeowners? This is why there's insurance, and yes there are other federal resources available for disaster-related needs, as Mr. Fugate states in his comments. Illinois is considered a large state per FEMA regulations, and the threshhold for damages is considerably higher than those suffered downstate. It's time for the individual, community and state to step up and take preparedness seriously.