|
President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for Cook
County after torrential rains caused flooding across the region.
According to the declaration, Illinoisans will now be eligible
to access federal resources in the aftermath of the flooding,
which occurred June 29 and July 2.
“West Side residents and other Chicagoans impacted by July’s
flooding will now continue to get the assistance and resources
needed for recovery,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a social
media post.
The storms dumped more than nine inches of rain on some parts of
Cook County. The heavy rains flooded thousands of basements
across the area, and even prompted engineers to temporarily
reverse the flow of the Chicago River to ease burdens on
reservoirs to prevent further flooding.
"When it comes to the basement, peoples’ furnaces and things
like that have been damaged so FEMA is not about making you 100
percent whole, we want to get you back to your living
conditions,” said Larissa Hale, Media Relations Specialist with
FEMA.
As of Sept. 1, the agency reports visiting over 16,000 homes.
They provided $68 million in individual assistance, including
$59 million in housing assistance, and $9 million in other needs
assistance.
The agency is providing federal resources despite a warning by
the head of FEMA Deanne Criswell who told CNN that the money is
running out.
“We do still anticipate that we will have a shortage of funding
at our current spending levels by mid-September,” said Criswell.
Residents and business owners who suffered losses in the
designated areas can apply for assistance at
www.disasterassistance.gov, or by calling 800-621-FEMA.
The deadline to apply is October 16.
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
