Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Tops $131.1 Million

AURORA, Ill. – Federal assistance in Illinois has reached more than $134.1 million, distributed among more than 54,540 individuals and households, since a major disaster was declared for storms and flooding that occurred April 16 through May 5.

Storm damage after May 5 is not included in the presidential disaster declaration for Illinois.

The latest summary of federal assistance includes:

• More than $134.1 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households;
• Of that amount, more than $115 million has been approved for housing assistance, including temporary rental assistance and home repair costs;
• More than $18 million has been approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and damaged personal possessions;
• More than 81,500 home inspections have been completed to confirm disaster damage;
• More than $33.2 million in loans to homeowners, renters or business owners has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

To address unmet needs, LaSalle County has organized a Long-Term Recovery Committee (LTRC) with the help of FEMA’s Voluntary Agency Liaison division. LaSalle County experienced some of the most severe damage from the storms, especially in Marseilles where a large portion of the town’s residents were affected, with over 200 having to vacate their homes.

In the next several weeks, the Lutheran Disaster Response will be providing guidance to the LTRC to canvass affected areas to determine who may have unmet needs for housing and rental assistance, construction and repair help, food, clothing, spiritual and emotional guidance or financial support.

In Illinois, 82 out of its 102 counties and 770 communities have adopted and enforce floodplain ordinances, making residents eligible to purchase flood insurance. Flooding accounts for more than 90 percent of declared disasters in Illinois. The state has one of the largest inland systems of rivers, lakes and streams in the United States with nearly 15 percent of its total land area flood prone.

Two additional counties have been added to the major disaster declaration for individual assistance. Putnam and Warren county survivors along with survivors of the 33 counties already declared for individual assistance now have until July 24 to register for federal disaster assistance.

Individuals can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. People who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS) can call 800-621-3362. For more information, visit the Illinois Disaster website www.fema.gov/disaster/4116.

Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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