PRESIDENT DECLARES EMERGENCY FEDERAL AID FOR ILLINOIS   

[DEC. 30, 2006]  WASHINGTON – The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal aid has been made available to supplement state and local response efforts in the area struck by record snow during the period of November 30 to December 1, 2006.

FEMA Director David Paulison said federal funding is available to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Adams, Boone, Brown, Bureau, DeKalb, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Menard, Ogle, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Scott, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, and Winnebago.

Paulison said that assistance is available to state and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures, including snow removal, that were undertaken to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety over a continuous 48-hour period during or approximate to the incident period.

Paulison named Michael H. Smith as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, initiates mitigation activities and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA works closely with state and local emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

[News release]