Illinois Declared Federal Disaster Area From Spring Flooding

By Benjamin Cox on September 19, 2019 at 2:49pm

Illinois has officially been declared a federal disaster area by FEMA. In a White House statement released on Thursday, President Donald Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Illinois and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding between February and July.

Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding. Counties in the area eligible for federal money include Cass, Greene, Morgan, Pike, Schuyler, and Scott along with 21 other counties. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Pete Gaynor, Acting Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security, named Nancy Casper as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.