$1.5 Million Approved for Illinois in First Week of Disaster Assistance

Release Date: March 14, 2008
Release Number: 1747-004

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- In the first week more than $1.5 million in grant assistance has been approved to date by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as they continue to assist the Illinois Emergency Management Association (IEMA) in the recovery from the severe storms and flooding from January 7 and continuing. President Bush issued the major disaster declaration on March 7.

Disaster recovery efforts through March 13th include:

·         A total of 547 individuals already registered for disaster assistance. There were 352 registrations from Iroquois county and 185 registrations from Livingston County.

·         More than $984,573 in Individual Assistance funds was approved for 265 households.

·         More than $800,000 ($844,767) in Housing Assistance has been approved to cover rental assistance, temporary lodging, and housing repairs for 193 applicants.

·         More than $139,000 ($139,806) in Other Needs Assistance (ONA) has been approved for 72 applicants to cover their personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.

·         The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued application packets for low-interest disaster loans to 324 homeowners and 84 businesses.  The SBA provides low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes.

  • FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are now open in Pontiac and Watseka. These facilities will be open seven days a week from 9 a. m. to 7 p. m. (CST) until March 22. After March 22, DRCs will be open six days a week, from Monday through Saturday.

The DRC provides residents affected by the disaster with the opportunity to meet with representatives of state, federal, and voluntary agencies and ask questions about the recovery process. Residents affected by the severe storms and flooding that began on Jan. 7 who plan to stop by the DRC are urged to register for assistance before their visit.

Iroquois County DRC
Regional Health Center
200 Laird Lane.
Watseka, IL

Livingston County DRC
City Council Chambers
115 W. Howard Street
Pontiac, IL

Residents can register for assistance by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 or visiting www.fema.gov on line. The registration line is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (CST) until further notice.

SBA representatives are at all DRC locations to explain how SBA low-interest disaster loans can help homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations pay for their disaster losses, according to SBA officials. They also will meet with applicants one-on-one and assist them in filling out their loan applications. Anyone not able to visit a center should call 1-800-659-2955 for SBA assistance or visit the website at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Friday, 14-Mar-2008 13:21:53