Governor Quinn Requests Federal Aid for Local Governments Affected by Flooding

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn today requested federal aid to help local governments in 25 Illinois counties recover from major flooding in April. Counties included in the request are Adams, Bureau, Clark, Cook, Crawford, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McHenry, Mercer, Ogle, Pike, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Warren and Woodford.

"Local governments across Illinois went above and beyond to protect residents during this historic flooding," Governor Quinn said. "Their response to this disaster helped save lives, but it also seriously strained their budgets. Communities need this federal assistance so they can repair flood-damaged roads and bridges, while continuing to provide vital services."

Local government expenses related to the flooding in those counties are estimated at more than $40.4 million. If the request is approved, local governments could receive reimbursement for 75 percent of eligible expenses, such as overtime for emergency protective measures and repair or replacement of damaged public property.

Representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began meeting with local government representatives in affected counties earlier this month to review flood-related expenses, such as emergency protective measures, debris removal and repair or replacement of government-owned facilities. Documentation of those expenses was submitted in today's request.

Governor Quinn already has secured federal aid to help people and businesses in 25 counties, including 14 counties that were announced yesterday. To date, nearly 25,000 people in the first 11 counties declared have applied for assistance, with more than $44 million in aid already processed.

IEMA and FEMA personnel continue to meet with officials in other flood-impacted counties to document their expenses. Governor Quinn said he expects to request assistance to help local governments in additional counties once that process is completed.