FEMA Awards $1,677,592 Grant to Cook County

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $1,677,592 in Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) funds to Cook County, Ill., for the acquisition and demolition of eight flood-prone homes.

“The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program enables communities to implement critical flood mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of loss of life and property,” said Andrew Velasquez III, regional administrator, FEMA Region V. “This project will help to eliminate future structural losses in Cook County by permanently removing these eight buildings from the floodplain and will also greatly reduce the financial impact on individuals and the community.”

“The acquisition of flood-prone properties has been a priority for the state of Illinois for more than two decades,” said James K. Joseph, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. “Removing homes such as these from flood-prone areas not only helps residents avoid the heartache of dealing with future flood losses, it also reduces flood response and recovery costs for the local governments.”

FMA provides grants to state and local governments and tribal organizations to implement long-term flood hazard mitigation measures. Through FMA, FEMA will pay more than 90 percent of the $1,857,014 eligible project cost. The remainder, $179,422, will be provided by Cook County. 

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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Media Contact: Cassie Ringsdorf, 312-408-4455