Federal Disaster Aid to Illinois Residents Tops $144 Million

AURORA, Ill. – Federal assistance in Illinois has reached more than $144 million, distributed among more than 58,000 individuals and households, since a major disaster was declared for storms and flooding that occurred April 16 through May 5.

The latest summary of federal assistance includes:

• More than $144 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households;
• Of that amount, more than $124 million has been approved for housing assistance, including temporary rental assistance and home repair costs;
• More than $20 million has been approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and damaged personal possessions;
• More than 87,000 home inspections have been completed to confirm disaster damage;
• More than $49 million in loans to homeowners, renters or business owners has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

FEMA has extended the registration deadline by 15 days to August 8, 2013. Affected residents of 35 counties covered in the Illinois disaster declaration for severe storms and flooding are encouraged to register with FEMA.

Counties designated for individual assistance for this disaster declaration are: Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Clark, Cook, Crawford, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago, and Woodford.

Federal assistance is only available for individuals who incurred damage in a designated county as a result of storms and flooding that occurred during the period of April 16 to May 5. Registering for assistance for damages sustained as a result of a storm in any other period   could be considered fraudulent and claimants could face recoupment of grant money received and/or fraud charges.  

To register or to ask questions about your claim, call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Residents can also register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362. All phone lines are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Those with storm damage who do not register are disqualifying themselves from any possible assistance if their insurance settlement is not enough. 

Those owning homes or businesses in areas that flood frequently may be required to elevate, relocate or demolish the structures to prevent future loss. The National Flood Insurance Program’s standard flood insurance policies will pay up to $30,000 of the eligible costs under the increased cost of compliance (ICC) coverage.

To qualify for ICC, the NFIP-insured structure must be located in a Special Flood Hazard Area and the cost to repair the structure must equal or exceed 50 percent of its market value prior to the flood damage.

Another way to qualify is if your community has a more restrictive floodplain management ordinance provision that requires damaged buildings to be brought into compliance when the cost exceeds a threshold lower than 50 percent, or by calculating the cost to repair cumulatively over a period of time, for buildings that are damaged repetitively.

The insurance agent that sold you flood insurance and your local building official can provide more information.

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.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/femaregion5, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only.  

Media Contact: 571-408-1835

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