Governor Quinn Announces Request of FEMA Teams for Flood Damage Assessments

CHICAGO – July 30, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that state and federal assessment teams will be in northern Illinois next week to begin documenting damages to homes and businesses caused by flooding that occurred in the area July 22 through 24. The teams will include representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

“In the aftermath of last weekend’s heavy rain and flooding, communities across the state are in dire need of assistance,” said Governor Quinn. “Next week, teams of state and federal emergency management officials and representatives from the SBA will assess the damage to help determine the need for federal aid to help our state recover and rebuild.”

The information gathered by these teams could be used to support a state request for federal disaster assistance.

“The torrential rains that hit northern Illinois last weekend damaged hundreds of homes throughout the region,” said IEMA Interim Director Joe Klinger. “These joint damage assessments will help us gather information that may support a request for federal assistance.”

Klinger requested assistance with damage assessments in Carroll, Cook, DuPage, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties. Other counties may be added as additional local damage estimates are completed.

In order to seek federal disaster assistance, the state must be able to prove that the ability to recover from the disaster is beyond the capability of local and state governments. The information gathered by the assessment teams will document the number of homes and businesses that were damaged by flooding and the extent of that damage.

The assessments will start on Aug. 4 in northwestern Illinois. It is expected that the assessments will take more than a week to complete. The state will then review the data and determine if it would support a request for federal assistance.